How Silly Humans Started Paying Taxes

Why do we pay taxes—and how did humans end up with so many of them? Today, Crude investigates the history of taxes, from ancient governments collecting grain, animals, and labor to the modern world of income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, and the deductions that mysteriously appear on your paycheck before the money ever reaches your bank account. Along the way, we look at how war helped reshape taxation, why the United States eventually adopted a federal income tax, how payroll withholding changed the paycheck, and why the same money can seem to encounter taxes again and again. Then comes the question every taxpayer eventually asks: Where does all that tax money actually go? From local services like schools, roads, parks, police, and fire departments to federal spending on Social Security, Medicare, defense, government programs, and interest on the national debt, Crude follows the money to figure out what exactly humans are paying for. Because taxes have changed dramatically over thousands of years. The argument over them? Not nearly as much. Welcome to Crude at Its Core—history, economics, and human behavior explained from the perspective of a zoo monkey who remains deeply confused by our decisions. #Taxes #History #Economics