Dwain Northey (Gen X)

Ah yes, February 1 is creeping up—that magical time of year when Americans gather their receipts, open their tax software, and prepare to be scolded by the government like a disappointed parent who somehow still wants rent money.

Everyone’s supposed to be worried about doing their civic duty. Paying taxes. Funding the nation. But a growing number of us are quietly wondering: why exactly are we paying for this? Is it for roads? Schools? Healthcare? Or is it for militarized agencies, corporate bailouts, and whatever ideological fever dream is currently burning a hole through the federal budget?

Because here’s the fun part: if you’re a gig worker—driving, freelancing, hustling, duct-taping together an income—you’d better not get too creative with those deductions. Took off your internet bill? Audited. Wrote off part of your rent because you work from home? Audited. Tried to deduct mileage, supplies, and the sheer psychological damage of existing? Congratulations, enjoy your audit letter printed in aggressive government font.

Meanwhile, multimillionaires are out here playing Tax Jenga. Deductions stacked on deductions, shell companies inside holding companies inside “family offices” registered in places that technically exist but spiritually don’t. They write off yachts as “mobile meeting spaces” and call private jets “essential travel.” They lose money on paper every year while somehow buying a third vacation home. The IRS looks at them and says, “Wow, very complicated. Anyway, carry on.”

But you? You’re just trying to keep the lights on. Literally. And every deduction you claim has to be justified like you’re on trial for crimes against capitalism. You don’t get accountants, lawyers, or offshore anything. You get a spreadsheet, a prayer, and the constant fear that a $300 write-off will trigger an investigation that costs more than your annual income.

So yes, it’s almost February 1. Everyone’s worried about their taxes. But a lot of us are wondering why the burden of “supporting the country” always seems to land on the people who can least afford it—while the people who’ve hollowed it out get rewarded for knowing which loophole to crawl through.

Pay up, citizen. Democracy isn’t cheap.

Apparently neither is being poor.