And Australia? Why so high? Why be a slave to the Australian Government? :oIo: 
Europe?
No wonder everyone wants to migrate to the US......
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/P14855.asp
The Basics
Think your taxes are bad?
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Every year, you grimace as you sign your return. Imagine what it's like in Belgium or Hungary, where taxes can take half your pay. Plus: the wackiest taxes on record.
By Debora Vrana
Believe it or not, Americans enjoy some of the lowest income tax rates in the world. Today of all days, it might not seem so.
When you look at the overall tax burden, the U.S. is quite low," said Eric Toder, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., and former director of the office of research for the Internal Revenue Service.
For a family with one wage-earner and two children, only Iceland has a lower income tax burden than the U.S., according to the most recent data for 2008.
At the top, Sweden, Turkey, France and Poland impose the biggest tax burdens on families.
The OECD collects data on 30 member countries and annually calculates what it calls the tax "wedge" for each -- the combined effects of personal income tax, employee and employer social security contributions, payroll taxes and cash benefits.
Tax burdens around the world
Country Single, no kids Married, 2 kids Country Single, no kids Married, 2 kids
Australia 38.3% 36.0% Korea 17.3% 16.2%
Austria 47.4% 35.5% Luxembourg 35.3% 12.2%
Belgium 55.4% 40.3% Mexico 18.2% 18.2%
Canada 31.6% 21.5% Netherlands 38.6% 29.1%
Czech Republic 43.8% 27.1% New Zealand 20.5% 14.5%
Denmark 41.4% 29.6% Norway 37.3% 29.6%
Finland 44.6% 38.4% Poland 43.6% 42.1%
France 50.1% 41.7% Portugal 36.2% 26.6%
Germany 51.8% 35.7% Slovak Republic 38.3% 23.2%
Greece 38.8% 39.2% Spain 39.0% 33.4%
Hungary 50.5% 39.9% Sweden 47.9% 42.4%
Iceland 17.0% 11.0% Switzerland 29.5% 18.6%
Ireland 25.7% 8.1% Turkey 42.7% 42.7%
Italy 45.4% 35.2% United Kingdom 38.5% 35.1%
Japan 27.7% 24.9% United States 19.1% 11.9%
Source: OECD, 2005 data
Mysteries of the code
In 2005, total federal state and local taxes in the United States were 19.2% of our gross domestic product, ranking among the lowest in the world, with only Mexico at 18.5% with a lower tax rate. Along with the higher taxes, the difference between the U.S. and some of the other industrialized countries are increased social services, such as pensions and health-care funding.
But for many Americans laboring to file income taxes before the April 17 deadline, the main complaint is not the tax burden, but that confusing document called the U.S. tax code.
The tax system is much more complicated in America, said Toder. Taxes have become a much more stressful and complicated event, even if you are getting money back, he said.
In addition, there are often idiosyncratic taxes each state can levy. These taxes can be as wacky and as quirky as the character of each state. The local taxes can reflect what is important to residents and what activities residents may hope to curb.
Some of these are humorous and some probably dont bring in much revenue, said Lily Batchelder, an assistant professor at New York University who specializes in taxes and social policy. There are a lot of ways we need to simplify taxes.
Europe? No wonder everyone wants to migrate to the US......
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/P14855.asp
The Basics
Think your taxes are bad?
advertisement
Click Here!
Every year, you grimace as you sign your return. Imagine what it's like in Belgium or Hungary, where taxes can take half your pay. Plus: the wackiest taxes on record.
By Debora Vrana
Believe it or not, Americans enjoy some of the lowest income tax rates in the world. Today of all days, it might not seem so.
When you look at the overall tax burden, the U.S. is quite low," said Eric Toder, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., and former director of the office of research for the Internal Revenue Service.
For a family with one wage-earner and two children, only Iceland has a lower income tax burden than the U.S., according to the most recent data for 2008.
At the top, Sweden, Turkey, France and Poland impose the biggest tax burdens on families.
The OECD collects data on 30 member countries and annually calculates what it calls the tax "wedge" for each -- the combined effects of personal income tax, employee and employer social security contributions, payroll taxes and cash benefits.
Tax burdens around the world
Country Single, no kids Married, 2 kids Country Single, no kids Married, 2 kids
Australia 38.3% 36.0% Korea 17.3% 16.2%
Austria 47.4% 35.5% Luxembourg 35.3% 12.2%
Belgium 55.4% 40.3% Mexico 18.2% 18.2%
Canada 31.6% 21.5% Netherlands 38.6% 29.1%
Czech Republic 43.8% 27.1% New Zealand 20.5% 14.5%
Denmark 41.4% 29.6% Norway 37.3% 29.6%
Finland 44.6% 38.4% Poland 43.6% 42.1%
France 50.1% 41.7% Portugal 36.2% 26.6%
Germany 51.8% 35.7% Slovak Republic 38.3% 23.2%
Greece 38.8% 39.2% Spain 39.0% 33.4%
Hungary 50.5% 39.9% Sweden 47.9% 42.4%
Iceland 17.0% 11.0% Switzerland 29.5% 18.6%
Ireland 25.7% 8.1% Turkey 42.7% 42.7%
Italy 45.4% 35.2% United Kingdom 38.5% 35.1%
Japan 27.7% 24.9% United States 19.1% 11.9%
Source: OECD, 2005 data
Mysteries of the code
In 2005, total federal state and local taxes in the United States were 19.2% of our gross domestic product, ranking among the lowest in the world, with only Mexico at 18.5% with a lower tax rate. Along with the higher taxes, the difference between the U.S. and some of the other industrialized countries are increased social services, such as pensions and health-care funding.
But for many Americans laboring to file income taxes before the April 17 deadline, the main complaint is not the tax burden, but that confusing document called the U.S. tax code.
The tax system is much more complicated in America, said Toder. Taxes have become a much more stressful and complicated event, even if you are getting money back, he said.
In addition, there are often idiosyncratic taxes each state can levy. These taxes can be as wacky and as quirky as the character of each state. The local taxes can reflect what is important to residents and what activities residents may hope to curb.
Some of these are humorous and some probably dont bring in much revenue, said Lily Batchelder, an assistant professor at New York University who specializes in taxes and social policy. There are a lot of ways we need to simplify taxes.
