The hidden tax Americans pay constantly — and how we can avoid it

Sep 24, 2026 31 min

About this episode

Americans spend billions of hours a year navigating government bureaucracy, whether filling out forms, waiting on hold, or standing in endless lines. Researchers call this hidden burden the “time tax.” In her new book, <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-time-tax/id6748314661" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time — and How to Fix It</a>, Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey argues all of this red tape is more than just annoying — it has real, lasting consequences for the country. Lowrey joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about who pays a disproportionate share of the time tax, why the system was designed to wear us down, and her ideas for how to fix it.

Listen to this episode in English to learn English

Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. The hidden tax Americans pay constantly — and how we can avoid it from Apple News In Conversation gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.

In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.

Episodes to Learn English

More podcasts in English