“It’s as Backawards as Can Be”: Things in American Culture That Make No Sense to the Rest of the World

Ask any American about tax season, and you’ll immediately see their face pale with dread. Every year, we have to pay a service in order to figure out how much we owe the government. Then, after much guessing and blind calculating that defies the laws of math, the government tells us whether or not we paid the right amount.

The thing is, if the government already knows how much we owe, why don’t they just tell us? Needless to say, it’s a hot mess that makes no sense when you think about it rationally. Believe it or not, there are other ways to pay taxes that are way less absurd. Other countries do it all the time. The United States just likes to be special, apparently.