Jeff Matthews Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 JB's post and a reply from the Netherlands got me wondering.... For those of you who do not live in the USA, describe your economy. What is your tax rate? How is it calculated? Are there many different kinds of taxes or just a few? What is the cost of living like? How about health care? Do you think the USA has a better arrangement, or does your country? Just curious what the world outside of the US thinks about how we live.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Well, a little off topic, but I used to live in Massachusetts and it was a little scary .... Republicans are not very welcomed there []Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Well, a little off topic, but I used to live in Massachusetts and it was a little scary .... Republicans are not very welcomed there [] Chris Funny...try Chicago. You'll never get your trash picked up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Try New Jersey and their car insurance rates! I think something like 1400 dollars for a family of three with regular sedans and hell we have not had accident that was "our" fault yet.... that is for 6 months too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCOOTERDOG Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Hell my property tax in Idaho is 2.5 times higher then it was in California...go figure scooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Gotta love the Peoples Republic of California. I pay less than half the property taxes my next door neighbor does for basically the same lot and house thanks to Proposition 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmikid Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 This is indeed an interesting subject. I think we could discuss this all night long (with a nice Heineken or Bud to help us along), but since it's morning I have to go to work. I'll get back on this. Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 Come on, Timmy. You can be the first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Texans...Describe your state government (where food fights in the legislature are legendary). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmikid Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Come on, Timmy. You can be the first! Hehe! I am sorry, bit tired yestterday. Don't worry... I'll be back.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfandbark Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Yeah, the good 'ol USA.... Nine trillion dollars in debt. Thirty thousand for each and every man, woman and child that is a citizen and yet it's still the best place on the planet. I'm not moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 JB's post and a reply from the Netherlands got me wondering.... GREECE For those of you who do not live in the USA, describe your economy. Mainly bankrupt - national dept is about the equal of the GDP. Outlook, however, is actually quite good - plenty of EU money to make things work. Olympics did not help (neither did the US telling its citizens not to come - to the single greatest sporting event yet witnessed on this planet). What is your tax rate? For whom? Individual from zero to 50% plus national insurance contributions (about 9%). Companies pay a flat 32% although that will come down in line with the European average of about 25% over the coming few years. Sales Tax on most goods (VAT) is 19%. How is it calculated? That would take a book - actually is does take a book - I can send it to you if you like - but it is in Greek. Are there many different kinds of taxes or just a few? Many. What is the cost of living like? About 20% higher than the US. Average wage about 50% of US. How about health care? State supported system poor - quality of medical care is very high, but nursing care not good and facilities barely adequate. Private health care is booming and of a very high standard. Do you think the USA has a better arrangement, or does your country? I do not think there is a great difference between them - neither are good IMHO. Just curious what the world outside of the US thinks about how we live.... No plans to move country... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 Wow, Max! How do ordinary, middle-class folks make it over there? Cost of living is 20% higher than U.S., and wages are 1/2 that of U.S. Plus, maybe your taxes are higher (it's hard to tell from your description). I guess the Greek dream does not include home ownership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 83% home ownership - highest in Europe - go figure!!! (NB - Greece is actually the richest poor country in the world. All the figures are appalling but we have the highest rate of BMW and Mercedes ownership in Europe outside of Germany with prices twice as high. I can give you a clue to this apparent conundrum - the black economy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmikid Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Phew! It's weekend!!! [] Well, like politics this is a very complicated issue, and the statistics like Max stated above I would not know of Holland. The taxes should be about the same although for individuals it runs further up if you income is higher, to about 70%, I think. Our healthcare is pretty good. Health insurance is obligatory. We used to have two kinds: public (cheap, for low income) and private (expensive, for higher income). Now we have one basic kind (app. in the middle, starting at $75 a month) on which you can add extras for for instance alternative medicine and therapies, extra dental care, etc. Social funds and unemployment funds are quite ok, but very strict and not like the 70's when our country was one of the richest countries of the world (per citizen offcourse). Back then one could finish three studies on Universities, fully paid by the government. They did not need to hurry either. There were many eternal students around. I would say that Holland comes second to only some Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden, in regard to the social safetynet and the provision of things like child day care. I believe it is free in Sweden, so women can really work on their careers. The minimum wage for 23+ is about $1150.0 in the hand (so after taxes), based on a 38/40 hour a week job. Homeownership is possible, but as our country is small, the room/space is expensive. In the cities most people live and own or rent apartments in flats. I guess we should't have sold Manhattan for $25.- [] I love my country and I am proud of it. We are small, but we made a name in every household: Phillips, Heineken, coffee, cheese, rembrandt, etc. The Dutch are famous for their craftsmanship, their trading spirit and their intercultural connections. We had to trade and exchange, because we never had a big industry to speak of, like England. Edited out: political bickering, probably killing the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 While I was in South Africa this topic was discussed quite often at the evenings campfire. Income Tax Rate for my PH (professional hunter) per his own words, 40%. Pheww! Add to this a VAT is 14% for your routine purchases, and you have what is called government controled slavery. My PH claims to be a solid middle income wage earner, and says he takes home maybe $15K on a good year. ================================================================================= MEXICO, though I do not live in Mexico, I did grow up in a border town, Laredo, Tx. My parents were born and raised there, as were my Grandparent (both sides) too. My parents currently employ two maids. Both college educated, with degrees. 1 was making around $200 per month as a highschool teacher. Not sure what the other maid got her degree in. Anyway, that should pretty much sum it up the economy in Mexico. There are only 2 main classes, Filthy Rich, and Dirt Poor. I have traveled extensively throughout Mexico and Central America, and I can't say that I've ever gotten the feeling that either had a strong economy. But I honestly belive that America, with all her faults and problems, is the power house that all others are measured against. That is an ignorant and relatively blind statement, I know, but it is what I believe. I have no reason to believe otherwise. If I could live successfully anywhere in the world, I would be on some French Polonesian Island in the South Pacific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted March 19, 2006 Author Share Posted March 19, 2006 While I was in South Africa this topic was discussed quite often at the evenings campfire. Income Tax Rate for my PH (professional hunter) per his own words, 40%. Pheww! Add to this a VAT is 14% for your routine purchases, and you have what is called government controled slavery. Doesn't sound too different from the U.S. In Texas, probably after deductions and such, we pay 20% FIT. Add to that 15% for Social Security and Medicare, 8.25% for sales tax, property taxes = to about 2.5% of the market value of your home, fuel tax, and a fair amount of little others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Fuel costs over in S.A. were considerably greater than here in the states. It's been almost year now since my last visit, but I seem to remember the cost encroching on the $3.50/gal figure (while we were paying less than $2/gal), not positive though. I do remember sitting in the vehicle at the pump, doing the math, while my PH filled his tank with petrol....and thinking about how much more the fuel costed. Then I thought about how lucky we are to be able to drive rediculously large gas sucking SUV's here in the states, (sssshh, I own 2 of them). You don't see single families with them anywhere else in the world, at least not anywhere that I've ever been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I love my country and I am proud of it. We are small, but we made a name in every household: Phillips, Heineken, coffee, cheese, rembrandt, etc. The Dutch are famous for their craftsmanship, their trading spirit and their intercultural connections. We had to trade and exchange, because we never had a big industry to speak of, like England. I too love the Netherlands. Over the last 20 years I have gone an average of once a year. Most of the time I fly into Schiphol, take a train to Centraal Station and then the train to Gasperplaas and walk to the campground. Amsterdam is one of the most incredible cities I have ever been to. The art and architecture is second to none. The Dutch are very hospitable people. That being said, I will leave my observations of how the people that I came in contact with feel towards Americans, post Iraqi invasion as opposed to pre war. Getting back to the topic at hand, let me share and experience I had 10 years ago: When you leave the beautiful city of Amsterdam and go towards the outskirts by train, you run into neighborhoods of extremely high tenement buildings that house generations of immigrants. The last several visits I did not notice the Africans loitering on the train as they had in the past. Back then as I rode with them to my campsite and looked at the massive run down buildings, I wondered what these people did to survive. On one particular trip I was the only white guy in train car full of black youth that evidently spent a lot of time riding the trains with nowhere to go. Pretty much everyone in the car was expressionless until the next stop when 3 police officers boarded the train to check for tickets. I was curious how many of the people I was riding with had purchased tickets. When the police boarded, I noticed that everyone was appearing to look at me. [:^)] To my surprise everyone had tickets. I showed my ticket and as the police left the train, and in a moment I will never forget, all of the people staring at me as well as myself, started to grin uncontrollably. [] It wasn't until I relayed my experience to a Dutch friend that I learned 2 things. One: Evidently Americans are notorious for riding public transportation in Amsterdam without paying because it is based on the honor system; and two:The Dutch government subsidizes transportation to the poor. They also subsidize housing, but it appears to me the people in those houses aren't as privy to the educational system as they are in the United States (my impression). I heard on National Public Radio the other day that the Dutch Government has a video that is geared to the Middle Eastern and African population that is considering immigrating to the Netherlands. It depicts how liberal they are by showing women bathing topless, 2 men kissing, while expressing how populated (read, crowded) the Netherlands are. The story on NPR was highlighting the fact that conservative folks from those regions may not want to not move there. Regardless, I can see why the Dutch are proud of their society and aren't eager to move. Insofar as art is concerned I can't believe timmikid left out Vincent Van Gogh! His genious is exhibited en masse at the museum with his name in Amsterdam and on the German/Holland border in Otterlo's Kroller Muller museum. I highly recommend both. I also want to say those of you that like cheese need to check out their "Old Amsterdam" cheese (Black label) which is incredible. This week I found some in Kroger and was ecstatic. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customsteve01 Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Gilbert, Your right about the cars in other countries. When I go to Brazil I get a car with a 1.2 liter engine. At home I drive a truck with a 7.3 liter engine. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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