How much money you would have if you never paid taxes

You're likely familiar with that disappointing moment that comes when you open your paycheck only to be reminded, once again, that however much you might be earning, Uncle Sam is taking a large slice of it. With so much of your hard-earned money disappearing before your eyes, it's easy to fantasize about what it might be like if you could avoid paying taxes entirely and keep the whole check.

Of course, it's just a fantasy — taxes are unavoidable. GoBankingRates looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Americans in each of four different age groups to see just how much they are paying in taxes.

Click through to see how much more money you would have earned over the course of your working career, and learn exactly what is being deducted from each paycheck.