Unpacking the U.S. Tax System—Simply and Clearly
It’s been a while since I last shared a post, but I’m excited to be back with something timely and insightful. Learning about the U.S. taxation system has been on my personal study list for quite some time, and I’m thrilled to finally dive into it. If you’ve ever wondered how the U.S. taxation system operates, this blog is for you. Why Taxes Matter Taxes are the lifeblood of a country’s governance. In the U.S., tax revenues support everything from national defense to public schooling, infrastructure, and healthcare. In 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collected nearly $4.9 trillion, with individual income tax alone accounting for over $2.6 trillion—more than half of the country’s total revenue. A Layered Tax Structure The U.S. tax system functions at three levels: federal, state, and local. The IRS operates at the federal level, while each state—and often each local government—has its own set of tax rules. This decentralization means someone living in Texas (which has no state ...