I've always wondered how/why otherwise smart people fall into this trap. There are calculators out there for anything and everything tax-related under the sun. See also: I don't want a raise because then I'll go up a tax bracket and make less money!

Then again, there are people who won't get married due to (legitimate) increased tax burden. There are also people who run otherwise successful businesses into the ground specifically to avoid paying taxes. I think some people are just really, really adverse to the idea of paying taxes. Like the idea hits them at some core, fundamental level.