7 videos on taxes: have a laugh or enlighten yourself

The tax man cometh

Today, you probably forked over some money to the federal government, and whether you feel good about it or not, you may not be aware that taxes date back to Mesopotamian cultures, or that cats can’t write off kitty litter, or even that Monty Python has mocked ponying up cash for tax.

Whether you want a better understanding of the system or to have a chuckle after parting with your money, here are some videos to get you rolling.

The hipster tax crisis

H&R Block is really worried that an entire segment of people can name every band on stage at Coachella, but are devoid of any tax knowledge. They’re so worried that they’ve launched websites and campaigns about it:

History: How did taxes get started anyway?

Today is the day where most of us shipped hard earned cash into the hands of Uncle Sam, and it stings a little bit, but would it make you feel better to know that taxes date back to early Mesopotamian cultures? It wouldn’t? Well, learn about the origins anyway:

Taxes according to Monty Python

In proving that the pain of taxes is international, one New Zealand firm lifted a Monty Python scene to promote their services, and it his hilarious:

Ellen makes taxes fun

Want to know how to fall in love with doing your taxes? Prepare better next year with some ridiculous tips from Ellen, which aired a few years ago but still elicit laughs:

Doing your cat’s taxes

This is a dude walking his cat through doing a tax return, that is all.

How to explain taxes to your children

We won’t ruin this one with an intro, just watch:

Bar stool economics and how taxes work

Less funny, but more enlightening, Lee Doren at HowTheWorldWorks explains through a simple story how the tax system works (and here is the chart he references in the beginning).