I'm sort of with you on this. I am proud to know, for example, that my taxes help pay for healthcare for everyone and schools and roads and so on. I like to believe I'll pay in more than I'll get out and that's brilliant.
However. Come bonus time I really struggle with the bit where they say "we're going to give you £x" and then I actually get a bit over half that in the bank. Somehow I internalise the number x and it feels like the tax has been 'taken' in a way I never would for my monthly salary.
It's an interesting if purely psychological difference in my response to taxation.
I completely agree, it's the one time I find paying tax annoying (UK tax payer). My current employer has an option where you can pay any bonus directly into your pension, which is tax free.
If you aren't relying on the bonus for other things it's a good option. It means the bonus sort of 'disappears' psychologically, but then if you have a mortgage it probably just gets swallowed up by that anyway.
I'm sort of with you on this. I am proud to know, for example, that my taxes help pay for healthcare for everyone and schools and roads and so on. I like to believe I'll pay in more than I'll get out and that's brilliant.
However. Come bonus time I really struggle with the bit where they say "we're going to give you £x" and then I actually get a bit over half that in the bank. Somehow I internalise the number x and it feels like the tax has been 'taken' in a way I never would for my monthly salary.
It's an interesting if purely psychological difference in my response to taxation.