Part of the problem is under this Trump economy, checks are getting smaller, and for some people, a tax return is almost kind of like a jump-start for their finances.
Whose checks are getting smaller?
Checks get smaller because of income tax increase. Trump did not impose any income tax increases. Therefore, whose checks got smaller? Where did you get that info from? What study shows a decrease in take home pay due to federal taxes?
As pointed out, tax REFUNDS are smaller, but also as was pointed out this is because less money was taken to begin with. If I take $100 a month from you, but give you back $1000 at the end of the year, then take $50 a month from you the following year and give you back $500 i didnt decrease your tax refund, you just paid less to start with. You cant get refunded what you didnt pay.
If you want to argue against Trump in terms of taxes, then at least take on an anti tariff position. He imposed tariffs that United States citizens are paying, not China. This is, in and of itself, a tax increase. It is a tax increase whose purpose is to encourage the buying of domestic goods, but its still a tax increase. It hurts the US citizen as much as, if not more than, China.
As for tax refunds being used as a means to jump start your finances, thats just bad financial planning. Thats what people do when they live beyond their means. Thats like counting on a bonus at work to pay your bills. Thats not the purpose of a bonus that is not guaranteed or changes year to year.
Last year i lost my job and have a job now that pays less than half my previous salary. It sucks. Ive had to reduce a lot of things in my day to day life. I use to eat out a lot, now i dont. Ive learned to cook large batches of budget friendly meals and freeze them for the week. This includes some of my favorite take out gotos like pizza, sushi, indian food, etc. Cheaper to make than to order. I cut back on cable, canceled some subscription services, put off buying certain things i didnt need, had to conserve more, sold some stuff i didnt need anymore. It sucks. But its what you do. You live within your means. You try to spend money on assets with resell value instead of frivolities. You try not to incur debt. You lesrn the system and use it to your advantage when you can.
There are people that buy coffee every day, 5 days a week. Even if its just 711 coffee thats 10 bucks each week, 40 a month, 480 bucks a year. Just on bad coffee, which isnt even good for their health. I am sure that if people really did the math and looked at their spending, the struggles many have can be overcome at least somewhat. Its hard, it means giving up certain luxuries, but that's life.
I also get that other more serious expenses come into play. Medical bills can be high. Im lucky, at the moment i have no serious illness that I am aware of. My medical bills are basically zero. I know everyone isnt like that.
Unfortunately, the medical industry is expensive. As harsh as it sounds, livibg doesnt guarantee free access to modern medicine. Healthcare is a commodity that requires work, research and money to provide. It costs money to create, so it costs money to use. Thats just life.