I've always found tax laws in the west to be very draconian. Although it makes sense because their governments' budgets heavily relies on these taxes and the more budget deficit they face and the more economic crisis they face the more they need to increase their income hence the increasing taxation.

Considering that the alternative is to print money and that would cause hardship for everyone and tank the economy, I'd say the "draconian taxation" is the lesser of two evils.