Ha! Assuming we're discussing the US, I'm consistently amazed at how complicated it is. The number of tax accountants and wide success of TurboTax lend credence to the idea that it's more complicated than a lot of people want to deal with.

I guess I should have been more specific. Really I mean the basics like how tax brackets and deductions work.

Even deductions can get pretty hairy, in my experience. And frankly, if you have to say "just the basics", you're talking about a system that has more than just the basics. :)