Read why the information Americans have about our tax system might be misleading

Why the rich don't pay taxes like you do

The system behind the US income tax isn't as straightforward as it looks. You earn money. Taxes get taken out. Case closed … right? Not exactly. In this episode of "1440 Explores," we break down how the US tax system actually works, from confusing deductions and misunderstood tax brackets to why the wealthiest Americans often end up paying a very different tax than everyone else.

The IRS already has much of the data it asks Americans to report when filing their taxes

Americans spend more than 7.9 billion hours per year doing their taxes: It's notoriously time-consuming, requiring forms, deductions, and often third-party help. But here's the twist: The IRS already has much of the data it asks you to report. Americans still have to do the work themselves partly due to big tax prep companies that lobby to keep the status quo.

What it's like to do your own taxes for the first time

Most Americans across the country have one thing in common: They hate doing their taxes. Many use an accountant or an online service like TurboTax to avoid doing taxes themselves. In this video, two journalists decide to do their taxes on their own for the first time.

Watch a breakdown of tax breaks most Americans don't know about

Programs like healthcare savings accounts or flexible spending accounts are tax-free accounts that are designed to help lower healthcare costs. However, many Americans don't use them and don't understand how they work.

Cat food, death, and heavy machinery: Learn about loopholes in the American tax code

Tax avoidance isn't the same as tax evasion. The tax code is full of legal loopholes accountants can use to lighten their clients' tax burden. For instance, large estates can be counted as farms and some cars count as heavy machinery.

Learn how the US tax code works and why it's important

First published in 1926, the US Code is the official codification of federal statutes in the US. Title 26 of the US Code, for instance, lists all of the federal tax laws of the United States. A new edition is published every six years.

Visualizing US state taxes in seven charts

Ever wondered how your state’s tax system compares to others? Here’s an overview of the US state tax system based on seven visualizations.

Watch what happens if you commit tax evasion, from phone calls to property seizure

Tax Day is one of the most dreaded days for working Americans. The IRS responds differently to late filings and late payments. If you don't file at all, the IRS might freeze your assets.

Tax policy can have a direct impact on the national debt

Past presidents' changes to tax codes have inflated the deficit. An expert on the topic explains the interplay between policy and the national budget while debunking 10 tax-related myths in this podcast.

About one dollar in every six that are owed to the federal government aren't paid each year

That adds up to close to $1T in what's known as the "tax gap." Read a breakdown on the main drivers of tax evasion (distinct from legal tax avoidance) in the US.

Check out a list of 15 red flags that might result in an IRS audit

The Internal Revenue Service has audited less than 1% of all individual tax returns. If you're still worried about being audited, know that some people are more likely to be audited than others, such as people who make a lot of money and those who take large charitable deductions.

One reason Americans are bad at math

The president of Barnard College explains why we need to better understand the links between math anxiety, math avoidance, and the US’s dismal test scores.

Learn about the Beatles song 'Taxman,' which was inspired by Britain's tax structure

In the US, many people think of the IRS as the "taxman"—but the Beatles song is actually about the tax structure in the UK at the time. George Harrison wrote the song when he realized that even though the Beatles had started earning money, "we were actually giving most of it away in taxes," as he wrote in his autobiography.

If the estate tax is repealed, more expensive alternatives might come in its place

The federal estate tax has been up for political debate for decades. Many want to get rid of it altogether. If repealed other tax options, like capital gains taxes, could have people paying more in taxes than before.

Debunking myths about the American Revolution

The history of the American Revolution and the establishment of democracy are proudly taught in the US, but a number of incorrect details continue to be circulated. This article debunks some of the myths that persist in the public consciousness, like the idea that the war was solely driven by taxes or that Paul Revere was the only rider warning the rebels about the British.

Some argue that credit reporting promotes economic inequality in the US

Although today's credit scoring system is much more objective than, say, the credit assessment system of the 1700s, some argue there's still room for improvement, with critics saying the current system is still discriminatory. For example, while mortgage payments have long been automatically reported to credit bureaus, rent payments (the primary housing expense for most lower-income Americans) historically haven't been reported unless a payment was missed.

Read about what happened when one woman started filing income taxes again

Even though she was 35 and had a 14-year-old son, Gabriela Gallegos's mother had claimed her as a dependent on her tax forms for roughly a decade. After that particularly tumultuous ten-year span of Gallegos's life came to a close, she decided to file income taxes again.

Americans think being informed is a priority for voting, but don't prioritize reading the news

Many Americans report feeling "news fatigue," finding much of the news they encounter irrelevant. Still, being informed is recognized as a major civic duty. Many Americans have stopped seeking out the news or are far more selective about where they receive it, and an increasing sense that its up to individuals to confirm the facts they're being told.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

Read about the tax implications of remote work's increasing popularity

Tax complications can arise when a remote employee opts to work from a state where their employer had not previously done business. Demand for remote jobs has remained high since the pandemic accelerated remote work's popularity.

Explore the complex trade-offs policymakers face when considering tariffs

While tariffs can generate government revenue and encourage the consumption of locally produced goods, they can often lead to higher consumer prices and may negatively impact economic growth.

The Constitution is difficult to amend

Amended just 27 times in more than 230 years, the US Constitution is deliberately hard to change. This animated video from TED-Ed explains why the amendment process is so complex and what that rigidity means in practice.

Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be complex

Debtors must know whether their liabilities are secured or unsecured and what type of assets they have. They also need to know what a filing can and can’t help them with.

Effects of pay transparency legislation

Research on pay transparency’s impacts has been limited given the short amount of time since American states began passing pay transparency legislation. However, this early study from researchers out of Brown and Harvard found that increasing pay transparency could have the potential to decrease worker bargaining power, resulting in lower average wages for employees. Read the research here.

Modernizing health data privacy: A call for comprehensive reform

Despite the advancements in medical technology and data collection, securing personal health data remains a pressing issue in the 21st century. This Forbes article analyzes the state of health data privacy, sheds light on the current shortcomings,...

Both parties largely agree that America's immigration system is broken

This three‑part podcast series traces America's immigration system origins, revealing how historically celebrated Ellis Island-era policies evolved into today's fractured, fact‑starved debate—shedding light on economic, cultural, and political forces shaping the current dysfunction.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

The idea for the Federal Reserve was conceived in secret in 1910—with bankers donning duck hunt gear for disguise while traveling to a remote country club on Georgia's Jekyll Island

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.