What was your reaction to your first paycheck after taxes?

37 comments

1. Didn’t care as I had been in a civics class before.

2. I was just glad to have a paycheck, to be honest.

3. I was pissed that I was making so little and Uncle Sam still had to take some. Fuck taxes.

4. I’m sure I was fine with it since I was a teenager with few real expenses.

5. “Oh boy! Money!”

6. “Hurray! Money!”

7. Indifferent. I like roads, schools, police, solvent pension systems, etc.

8. I grew up poor. That first 800 something made me feel like royalty lol

   Didn’t even notice that what, 15 bucks taken out

9. Cool, money

10. I don’t care? It’s just a part of life and it only becomes a problem when you start financing a lifestyle that puts you into a deficit. My property taxes alone is $8000 a year and it was $5000 last year.

11. Abolish the 16th amendment

12. “I would like to get paid more than this”, but I would have thought that even with no taxes taken out

13. My first paycheck was tiny, so the taxes were insignificant.

    Nowadays, it’s just a big sigh and muttering to myself “sure wish this money was going to anything I could see instead of lining the pockets of disgustingly overpaid members of Congress,” but I digress.

14. “fucking bullshit!”

15. “Who the eff is this FICA bitch and why is she taking all of my money?!!”

    Okay I think that’s from a movie or show, but it’s something I would have thought.

16. I was paid minimum wage anyway, so i never expected much nor even looked at it.

17. Put it into savings.

18. Fuck the IRS

19. “Nice! I’m buying Half Life.”

20. Wow, that’s a lot of money.

21. I filled out my W4 with exempt because I just didnt give a fuck then 😀 I still noticed the Social Security and Medicare taxes which pissed me off of course.

22. I became anarcho-capitalist. Then ate some ice cream afterwards and got my sanity back.

23. “Oh wow, taxes are insignificant compared to the surplus value stolen by my employer.”

24. My first paycheck? Fine, because it wasn’t for much and the taxes taken out were low.

    It’s the paychecks you get when you’re older where a whole shit load of tax is taken out – that’s when you start thinking ‘hmmm, where exactly is this money going’.

25. Probably something about being able to buy whatever toy thing I was into at the moment. I was like 13 or 14.

26. I know. Right?! People always say “taxes pay for schools and roads and fire trucks”, but like, schools are FREE! And I’ve never had to pay to drive on a road! And are you telling me that if I pay taxes, I get a fire truck?!? That’s just insane…

27. YAY, MONEY!

28. Something along the lines of “fucking government.”

29. First paycheck?

    “Oh, that’s not so bad.”

    Now?

    “I fucking better get some of that back at the end of the year.”

30. I was aware that taxes existed at 15, it wasn’t a surprise.

31. I was a high school student and knew I’d get most what little was taken out when I filed taxes the next year.

32. Woo hoo! $25.56! For only 18 hours of work!

33. I was a lot more pissed at my employer for paying me so little than I was at the government for taking ~$20.

34. Yay money

35. I was never annoyed with taxes until I got to Chicago and it’s 10.5% sales tax. I don’t mind higher income tax but large sales taxes really suck.

36. I guess I was right to be a libertarian

37. “Oh awesome, money!”

    I was 16 and didn’t really think about it much more than that.