No, Virginia, we are not taxed too much

[flpoljunkie]

The Numbers: How do U.S. taxes compare internationally?

U.S. taxes are low relative to those in other developed countries. In 2008 U.S. taxes at all levels of government claimed 26 percent of GDP, compared with an average of 35 percent of GDP for the 33 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).



Among OECD countries only Mexico, Chile and Turkey had lower taxes than the United States as a percentage of GDP. In many European countries taxes exceeded 40 percent of GDP, but those countries generally provide much more extensive government services to their citizens than the United States does.

more...

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/background/numbers/international.cfm

[One of the 99]

1. K&R nt

[DCKit]

2. Those European VAT's take a real bite too. nt

[CTyankee]

3. but when you look at it further you see how much we spend (that the Europeans

don't) in health care, higher ed, day care. Paying off enormous student loans, maintaining health insurance so you won't be bankrupted by an illness and day care for working parents can take up a big bite, too...I haven't done a cost/benefit analysis but it would be interesting to find out...