I think you're vastly under estimating how complicated the us tax code is.

I have no idea about tha US tax code. An explanation would be welcome.

The US tax code is enormous and changes often enough that there is no human alive that has read the entire thing.

It's relatively easy to calculate the maximum someone with only ordinary income needs to pay.

However to pay less you need to understand all of the potential tax deductions, of which there are vastly more than most people realize.

You just aren't appreciating just _how_ majestically bonkers the US tax system is. It is truly a work of art.

For a country which loves complaining about tax, and where half the political campaigning was traditionally about lowering tax, they sure love overcomplicating tax.

The German word for how complicated the tax code is is "die Steuerverfassungskomplexität"

Was Germany one of the listed countries?

Yes.

> United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, among other countries.

As a Spanish guy living in Japan, I find the Japanese system hugely complicated (or better said, antiquated), so I shudder to think how bad the American system might be...