When I left the service of HM Gov in 2001 we were fully accustomed to annual pay rises that never achieved a positive rate so I was enticed to move over to the states for 3 times the pay. But the tax system here makes the British system look like a work of art - the US tax code really is ridiculous, not least of which is the need to submit annual tax returns, something I never did once in the UK.
Oh well, swings and roundabouts.