<prompt> Human: So I realize this is probably not possible, but Im getting really tired of losing about 300 per paycheck to taxes. I make 13hr time and a half for overtime. I typically work 42-52 hours a week. My gross pay is usually about 1160, but my net pay is roughly 850-900. This last paycheck, for some concrete numbers, I made 1240.86, but only took home 927.82. Thats 313.04 I paid in taxes. I realize that taxes help us function as a society, but this just seems a little excessive to me. I pay 900.00 a month in rent, and 212.87mo in credit card minimum, internet, phone, car and rental payments. This means I have roughly 742.77 a month to buy food and gas, take care of my animals dog and a cat, try to pay off my credit card down to about 590 on it!, and save for school next year. Its manageable, but tight, and if anything goes wrong cat eats mouse bait again, I get sick, my car needs work, etc, then I have no savings and live on ramen that month.I know Im not in a bad place, and I could be in a much worse place, but I just dont know how to make this into a better situation for myself. I just feel like if I could take home just an extra 100 or so Id have just a tad more breathing room. Is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of taxes I pay? Id rather not owe the IRS made 11,700 last year and then had to pay 190 in April this year, which sucked majorly, but Id also be ok not collecting anything in April. I just want everything to equal out.Let me know if anyone needs more info or anything. Ive never posted here, and this is really the first time Ive started trying to manage my finances. So far its just been get paid, pay for things I need, hope I have money in the bank when I need it. Im trying to get better about it.Assistant: Not really. You seem to have a great balance of the amount of taxes coming out as you only owed 190. If you had a refund of 1k then there might be something wrong your company accountant was doing, but it doesnt seem to be the case.Is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of taxes I pay? VoteHuman: I vote! I just think I need to re-think who Im voting for. This is my first year kind of out in the world, so Im just trying to figure it out.  <response>: FYI you are probably benefiting way more from government programs than you are paying into them. You should consider what is being done with the money you give the government, not just how much you are paying in taxes. 