At least, when it came to economics. I thought I was taxed once, and that was it. Now, having run a business and grabbing an MBA along the way, I discover that I am being taxed left, right, and centre. (Yes I know most of you spell centre wrong, but I am a Brit). Now, not all of this will apply to people outside these islands, but the principles are the same.

I accepted and understood that I am taxed on my wages. This varies, but essentially we get so much tax free allowance a year. That means, that if we have a tax-free allowance of (say) £6000 a year, we can earn £500 a month without paying tax. Then, anything we earn over the £500 a month is taxed in several bands. The first band may tax us at 25% on the next twelve thousand say. So if we earn £18,000 a year, we pay nothing on the first £6000, then £250 per month or £3000 per year on the next twelve thousand. Say after that we pay 45% (guessing here, but I am talking principles), so for the next £100,000 (assuming you're earning a bit more than me) you would pay an additional £45,000.

That is not strictly true, because we also pay national insurance, which is a tax by any other name, and I think this has a lower threshold at which we start paying it. Not only us, but our employer has to pay a chunk of NI as well. But so far the score is two taxes on our wages.

Now, if you are like me, (and you may be better or worse), come payday you will have spent your money, and be desperate for the next lot. So where has your money gone over the last month?

A big chunk of it will have gone on VAT. Assuming our cousins across the Atlantic do not pay VAT (although Europe does, so they may do) I will explain exactly what VAT is. Value Added Tax is an incremental tax, that each business up the manufacturing chain adds a little to (hence the Value Added bit).

So if you are baking cakes, the miller of the flour will buy wheat at a price. This price includes the price the farmer wants for the wheat, plus VAT, (normally 17.5% but temporarily down to 15%).

The farmer will send the Government the 17.5 percent he has charged. Then the miller will grind the wheat into flour, and sell it on to the baker. The miller will charge what he paid the farmer (but subtracting the VAT he was charged), plus his margin for the work he has done, plus VAT at 17.5%. Then he will pay the government the 17.5% he has charged, less the smaller 17.5% that the farmer charged him. Confused? Why not. But anyway the net effect is everyone in the chain is a tax collector.

Now I have been a bit simplistic here, because not all businesses pay VAT. For example, necessities such as food are not subject to VAT, unless they are fancy food, or you eat them in a restaurant, where you are charged VAT. So it is a little bit complicated.

Added to which we pay tax at a very high rate as we drive. Car tax, which varies according to the carbon footprint of your car, and tax on petrol (which is very high). Why bother with car tax, when you could just add ten pence per litre to the petrol and not have to bother collecting the different tax? Too efficient perhaps?

Now, we also pay housing tax, to pay for the local services. We pay tax called Stamp Duty when we buy a house. And what are parking fees if not tax? We have already paid car tax to use the road, then can't we park on the road without paying more for the privelege? We do not receive anything in return for parking fees, and because the local councils determine where they are going to slap fees we have very little choice as to whether we pay them. Tax, don't you just love it?

Now here is the punchline - if you think that is a lot of tax we have been talking about, when you spend what little they have left you, it goes to a business... that uses it to buy services and goods and pay wages, and that gets taxed all over again... and again... and again...