The Govt takes all my money as well...it's the single largest outflow I have* it taxes - I paid more in taxes than I did on my mortgage (when I had one), more than I spend on food, cars, etc.
His / her problem in that regard ("Govt takes all my money") might be that they have their withholding set improperly. Is this person young / inexperienced when it comes to taxes? Are they one of these types that set their W-4 to "0" "so I can get a big refund!"?
Even though it's a whine, there may be some truth to the complaint.
* - His / her complaint however is no excuse for being sub-optimal or refusing to act elsewhere. It's excuse mongering. I take the tax bite as a given.
Oh - and running some quick numbers on the IRS page, a single person making 41k who puts 10% into a 401k plan and otherwise doesn't have any other deductions to itemize (e.g. Standard) will pay about $3,500 / year in Fed Income Taxes.
http://apps.irs.gov/app/withholdingcalculator/index.jspThrow in another 7 or so percent for Social Security / Medicare / UI, for about another $2870 or so. So, just for the Feds, he/she is on the hook for about $6,370 / year. That's $530 / month. Seeing as that's significantly more that their share of rent, yes, I'd agree that it's a legit complaint, especially if they're young and don't realize how expensive Government really is. But again, that's no excuse to not optimize elsewhere. One wonders where his/her other 2900 / month goes.
Depending on your State, you might have State Income Taxes as well.
Oh - and I totally agree with the other comments. You've tried to lead them to water, but it's up to them to take a drink, so to speak.