+@X3$,... you know,... "Death & _____"

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I would bring back hanging and go into rope.

[snyprrr]

I would bring back hanging and go into rope.

"The tree of liberty is often times watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

Jefferson

[jochanaan]

...I figure the German government takes about 55% of what we earn. See, snyprrr...you live in a tax paradise. Enjoy your cheap milkshake.

But what do you get for your taxes?  Nearly half of ours goes to the armed forces, who basically get everything they want and more while social programs get slashed and the opposition party who controls the House of Representatives whines about welfare and health care and the minimum wage...

[Jo498]

The 55% number is very doubtful. You get close to this if you include all social security and health insurance payments that are usually directly taken from your wage and earn a middle class income (ca. 50000+ EUR) as a single, childless employee. If you are any of self-employed, married with children, in some branches of civil service ("Beamte") or earn less these rates will be much lower and there will be all kinds of deductions.

I also do not understand the Sergeant's figure of 33% tax for a low-paid job. This can only be, if your main income is the pension and you have this job additionally. There are no income taxes on the first EUR 8000 p.a. for a single person.

In any case, the taxes in Germany are not unusual for continental/northern Europe; I am pretty sure they are (or used to be) higher in Scandinavia. If you are rich they are lower in Switzerland and Austria, but I do not think it makes much of a difference for the average earner (you earn much more for comparably jobs in Switzerland, though).

You get, among other things:
- free education including university (there are some administrative fees for university, but not comparably to tuition in the US, more like 200-500 EUR/year, depending on circumstances, poorer students are also eligible for limited stipends), but you have to pay for daycare/nursery school for smaller children.
- lots of benefits if you have children, especially during the first year or so, but even until your children are 18 or even 25.
- the right to drive 200 km/h on the AUTOBAHN (if there is no traffic jam)
- in principle unlimited welfare payments if unemployed longer then about one year (the first year the unemployment benefits depend on how much you earned in your job before). But it is not a lot of money and you have to use up most of your savings first to be eligible in the first place and may have to move to a smaller apartment and all kinds of unpleasant things.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

"The tree of liberty is often times watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

Jefferson

Geezus Man, don't you watch Monty Python!?