Taxation is theft.
That said most people I talk to fail to understand effective tax rate. They are only taking about their refund or how big a check they had to pay at the end of the year. Basic math is hard for them I guess.
Effective tax rate: total tax / AGI = %
These two numbers are clearly labeled on your 1040. Do the math. Compare to last year. I have a career average 14.57% this year I saw 8.67%. The tax cuts are real.