How much of each hard-earned euro goes to the tax authority? – Will

Our southern neighbors are not only famous for their beer and chocolate, but also for their exorbitant wage tax of 45.2 percent last year. In any of the 38 OECD countries, workers don’t have to pay that much money. Then we have nothing to complain about in Holland.

This concerns not only income tax, but also all premiums for the employer and employees. After Belgium, Germany, France and Italy, all with a tax burden of 40.9 percent.

We find only the Netherlands in 26th place with an average tax rate of 27.4 per cent, around the OECD average of 28.8 per cent. This puts us well ahead of the UK, where 27.2 per cent are paid. Again, we seem to have more in common with our Anglo-Saxon neighbor abroad than with the social democratic nations around us with which we can compare.

This is the full list of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that publishes this public view annually:

1. Belgium – 45.2 per cent
2. Germany – 40.9 percent
3. France – 40.9 percent
4. Italy – 40.9 percent
5. Sweden – 38.5 per cent
6. Austria – 38.4 percent
7. Turkey – 37.9 percent
8. Finland – 37.6 percent
9. Portugal – 37.2 percent
10. Slovenia – 36.4 percent
11. Spain – 36.2 percent
12. Slovakia
13. Hungary
14. Latvia
15. Greece
16. Norway
17. Estonia
18. Latvia
19. Denmark
20. Czech Republic
21. Iceland
22. Japan
23. Luxembourg
24. Costa Rica
25. Canada
26. Netherlands – 27.4 percent
27. United kingdom
28. Ireland
29. Australia
30. Poland
31. South Korea
32. Mexico
33. Israel
34. United States – 17.9 percent
35. New Zealand
36. Switzerland – 16.8 percent
37. Colombia
38. Chili pepper