Comic Strips

Now that it's clear the Federal government is just using tax money to give to billionaires, it's going to be extra painful this year. It genuinely just feels like a protection racket now. Pay money to the ruling class, or their enforcers will haul you away to prison.

Dont forget actively using the government against the people

The people most capable of carrying the tax burden are the people most likely to cheat their way out of paying taxes.

It is taken from the payslip. But then they have us verify what they already know and if you make a mistake you're punished for it! It's bullshit.

I want so bad for the US to do it the way every sane country does it; they just send me a thing so I can make sure they're accurate and only need to take action if they fuck up.

Income tax always struck me as a deliberate way to make your average joe hate taxes when they could, very easily, be calculated at time of payroll without you ever being shown the “pre tax” amount.

They do deduct taxes from your paycheck. Basically once a year, you have to true up and figure the exact amount you should have paid. If that's less than what was withheld, you get a refund.

In the Norwegian tax system, if you pay too much taxes trough the year from your paycheck, you get interest on the amount you paid to much. Likewise, if you pay too little taxes throughout the year, you will have to pay interest on the amount you have yet to pay. So the system is supposed to be balanced in that regard. The interest is on the level of a savings account (3.51% annual atm), so you could make an argument that saving that in a index stock or good bond is a better ROI though, so still recommended to try to not pay too much during the year.

I look at it like a non-voluntary piggy bank. I set the amount I'm going to withhold from every pay check, and anything over, gets given back. Sure it's interest free but if you look at an actual bank, interest rates on that money sitting in a savings account is pennies. And if you're someone who is bad at not spending your money, having it held for you with no real way to withdraw it is helpful when budgeting.

Besides, it's easy to over pay, it's pretty difficult for most people to net zero on tax payments without ending up owing money. And the amount you owe, could be something you hadn't budgeted for. I owe $450 this year. I don't really know where I'm getting that money. Most people will be less happy owing money than over paying and getting a refund.