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Current European maximum personal tax rates:



United Kingdom

Income Tax: 50%

VAT: 17.5%

TOTAL: 67.5%



Germany

Income Tax: 45%

VAT: 19%

TOTAL: 64%

France

Income Tax: 40%

VAT: 19.6%

TOTAL: 59.6%



Greece

Income Tax: 40%

VAT: 25%

TOTAL: 65%



Spain

Income Tax: 45%

VAT: 16%

TOTAL: 61%





Portugal

Income Tax: 42%

VAT: 20%

TOTAL: 62%





Sweden

Income Tax: 55%

VAT: 25%

TOTAL: 80%





Norway

Income Tax: 54.3%

VAT: 25%

TOTAL: 79.3%





Netherlands

Income Tax: 52%

VAT: 19%

TOTAL: 71%





Denmark

Income Tax: 58%

VAT: 25%

TOTAL: 83%





Finland

Income Tax: 53%

VAT: 22%

TOTAL: 75%







If you’ve started to wonder what the real costs of “socialism are going to be, once the full program in these United States hits your wallet, take a look at the table. As you digest these mind-boggling figures, keep in mind that in spite of these astronomical tax rates, these countries are still not financing their social welfare programs exclusively from tax revenues! They are deeply mired in public debt of gargantuan proportions. Greece has reached the point where its debt is so huge it is in imminent danger of defaulting. That is the reason the European economic community has intervened to bail them out. If you’re following the financial news, you know Spain and Portugal are right behind Greece .



The United States is now heading right down the same path. The “VAT tax in the table is the national sales tax that Europeans pay. Stay tuned because that is exactly what you can expect to see the administration proposing after the fall elections. The initial percentage in the United States isn’t going to be anywhere near the outrageous numbers you now see in Europe . Guess what, the current outrageous numbers in Europe didn’t start out as outrageous either. They started out as miniscule—right around the 1% or 2% where they will start out in the United States . Magically however, they ran up over the years to where they are now. Expect the same thing here.



It’s time to rethink the ‘American Dream’ idea: It is the notion that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get ahead economically here. Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between 60% and 80%? Think again. With the government taking that percentage of your money, your life will be exactly like life in Europe . You will never be able to buy a home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college. Let’s not shuffle the battle cry of the socialists under the rug either. It’s always the same cry. “Equalize income. “Spread the wealth to the “poor (whoever they are). “Level the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything will be rosy.



It’s time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example. Despite the “socialism system that has ruled this country for decades, with a 65% tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without hundreds of billions in bailout money, and still. . .20% of their population lives in “poverty. What has all that “socialism money bought, besides ultimate power for the politicians running the show?

Do you think these people are "free"? They're not. They are slaves to their economic "system."



People, we are at a tipping point in America . We all know it. Turn this around right now or your grandchildren will be massing in the streets of this once-great country, just as the people of Greece now are. Economic slavery is slavery, just the same. Carefully and deeply consider what it takes to throw off the yoke of slavery, once it takes hold and settles over your neck.

You think the German economy is weak? Wow! They just bailed out Greece!

In the UK, I pay income tax at 20% on about 50% of what I earn. I pay no tax at all on the first £6,475 ($9,783.72) I earn. (I should add that I have very few outgoings)

VAT does not apply to food bought in shops (you pay VAT in restaurants), children's clothes, and books.

I am no slave to anyone or anything.

You forgot National Insurance that can be up to 10.5%

Your table is, however, meaningless as it only tells a very small portion of the story.

In order to make meaningful comparisons you need to calculate out figures for direct and indirect tax paid for a range of incomes - yes, in the UK you now pay 50% income tax on any earnings over £150,000 but how relevant is that when working out the tax burden on the man in the street?

So, for incomes of £10,000, £20,000, £30,000 etc what is the tax paid and, on the remainder, what percentage will go on VAT, GST, Purchase Tax, Local Sales Tax etc. Then we can do some realistic comparisons.

Stepped in it again eh, hoppy. Does it ever become tiring for you?

You cant add income tax and VAT to come up with some arbitrary percentage figure. That doesnt make sense. Hoppy if you untied your shoe laces you wouldnt trip up so often

Your article is seriously flawed.

First of all you falsely imply that Europe is ‘Socialist’ you clearly have no idea what that even means. At least all the countries of the European Union are independent countries, not like your amalgamation of States.

The situation in Greece is not one to compare the rest of Europe to, they financial management was an abomination, and yes, they are one country with a wide mix of political parties, which my friend is called democracy. Not like the USA which has only two political parties (which by-the-way is only one more party than communist China).

As for Socialism in the USA, it is your country who proudly stands over the opening line of your constitution which reads:” WE THE PEOPLE” you can’t get any more socialist than that.

Also the national debt of the USA is $13,253,058,907,941.31 and growing by $4 bill per day: So how is your pure capitalism working out for you?? Not so good from the looks of it.

And my life in Europe is great thank you very much. I have my house by the sea, my boat, and I take vacation once if not twice per year in one of our magnificent European countries. We don't carry guns and we don't shoot each other in schools, we don't live in slums and we are not all addicted to crack. So we are doing just fine thanks.

It's not just hoppy, there are hundreds of people out there deliberately spreading this meaningless partisan tripe across the Internet. I have no idea at all why they bother, it can only harden attitudes against any NeoCon re-election.

https://encrypted.google.com/webhp?clie ... rfai=&fp=1

spot;1322837 wrote: It's not just hoppy, there are hundreds of people out there deliberately spreading this meaningless partisan tripe across the Internet. I have no idea at all why they bother, it can only harden attitudes against any NeoCon re-election.

https://encrypted.google.com/webhp?clie ... rfai=&fp=1


I wouldn't be so sure. Hoppy is far from being an idiot yet he seems to believe this claptrap. In the UK we have people who think Blair was a great leader of the labour party and there are even some that think Thatcher was the best thing to happen to the UK since sliced bread. Never underestimate the capacity of intelligent people to believe the bullshit they read.

I would shoot myself but I can't afford the licence and the purchase price of a gun.:yh_rotfl

gmc;1322885 wrote: Never underestimate the capacity of intelligent people to believe the bullshit they read.It's excusable when it's at least self-consistent and technically possible. A post which starts by adding tax rates instead of multiplying them isn't believable by anyone with a shred of intelligence. One which ignores tax banding and caps would embarrass even the most hardened propagandist. I'd welcome a discussion of comparative tax burdens by country but I doubt whether it would interest hoppy.

posted by spot

I'd welcome a discussion of comparative tax burdens by country but I doubt whether it would interest hoppy.


Crikey are you a closet accountant or something?:D



allow me to help

Historical Top Tax Rate

I suppose you need to add sales taxes, state taxes and medical costs on to that as well. I suspect if you look closely at it the US taxpayer pays for more than we do in direct and indirect taxes than we do and gets far less back. They pay less for petrol but then their cars use twice as much as ours in the first place.

Comparative tax burden by country involves a plot from lowest to highest gross income with an indication of the proportion of people in each bar, and the proportion of that gross paid to the various levels of government as taxation. Including, I'd suggest, whatever variant the country uses for land or building tax, all the sales taxes, supertaxes on expenditure such as petrol, and it would be informative if those categories were distinguished along each cumulative bar. What I reckon you'll find is that for most countries, including the UK and USA, the proportion of personal income going as tax starts around 55% of the gross going as tax from the less well off, a broad stretch of around 45% for the middle earners and a drop toward 20%-25% for the ones on high incomes.

If anyone feels I'm likely to be wrong we can start a new thread and do the work.