It’s almost Tax Day (or it just passed, depending on when you’re reading this and how deep your denial runs). Did you spend the weekend frantically digging through shoeboxes for receipts, fueled by caffeine and sheer panic?
If so, you’re definitely not alone. A recent YouGov poll, taken just before the deadline, revealed that while about two-thirds of Americans were sitting pretty, having already filed, a significant chunk of us were still deep in the tax trenches.
About 16% were still wrestling with the forms, and a bold 9% hadn’t even started yet. To the other 9% who weren’t sure if their taxes were done... maybe check with the spouse who was suspiciously quiet during The Masters?
Predictably, the poll found that people in their 20s were the most likely culprits when it came to last-minute filing. Shocking, I know. It seems the youthful combination of invincibility and perhaps a touch of “I’ll-deal-with-it-later-itis” reigns supreme. But hey, that’s what extensions are for, right?
The stress, however, is universal. Roughly half the country finds tax season stressful, while the other half are presumably zen masters, incredibly organized, or possibly just numb to the pain.
But here’s the real kicker, the one thing that unites us all: nobody enjoys paying taxes. When asked about their tax burden, only a microscopic 3% of Americans felt they paid less than their fair share. Meanwhile, 30% were convinced they were paying more than their fair share, and the rest presumably fell somewhere in the “grudging acceptance” category. Turns out, millions of people over the course of history have felt the same!
