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Trying to imagine explaining to someone from a civilized country why I'm filing an amended tax return:
"The instructions were so confusing that I got it wrong the first time around. The IRS told me it was wrong and I had to fix it."
"But if they knew it was wrong, why can't they fix it?"
"Tax-preparation help companies keep them from doing that; it'd decrease their profits."
"Wait, who runs your country?! The government, or the corporations?!?"
I initially wanted to write: "The instructions were so confusing that I, a computer programmer who can normally follow intricate, multi-step, technical instructions, got it wrong", but I ran out of characters. But seriously, you should see the instructions I normally follow for setting up development environments at work. The Form 1040 instructions are more complex and less clear. 
Anyway, I think this hypothetical onlooker-from-a-civilized-country would also be wondering, "Why in the world do you have to do *any* of this? The government knows how much you owe in taxes, right? Of course they do, because they told you when you got it wrong. So why don't they just *SEND YOU A BILL* (or a refund)!?!"
This person would, of course, be 
% right.
But again, tax-preparation company profits... 
@kagan according to my annoyingly correct Australian partner, that's what the government there does. you don't file your taxes because they already have your information.
@kagan in December of 2020 a bewildered Australian tourist couple asked me how the US electoral system worked, and became increasingly horrified as I explained that each US state is responsible, and then delegates that to each county or parish, and that the whole system is run by partisans.
I find it easier to explain that while Australia was colonized by people the Crown wanted to get rid of, America was colonized by crooks and grifters who then kidnapped labor.