Denmark and Sweden are some of the happiest countries in the world, but they also have the highest tax rates

[ajs0503]

Originally Posted by AnUnidentifiedMale

And conservatives on this forum regularly call Europeans "losers". Guess they ought to look in the mirror.

Everyone calls everyone a loser on this forum. Whats your point?

[freemkt]

Originally Posted by Gary Siete

Taxation in Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comparison of taxes paid by a household earning the country's average wage (as of 2005)

1) Single No Kids
2) Married w/ 2 kids

1) Single 2) Married

29.10% 11.90% United States

End the single penalty!

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by waterboy7375

And at a rate about twice as high as ours.

I really don't hear Europeans complaining about the taxes because they all benefit from them.

[monkeywrenching]

Originally Posted by freemkt

End the single penalty!

do not end the single penalty, just repeal the 16th Amendment.

[mlassoff]

These are also among the least religious countries on Earth. Maybe that's what accounts for their happiness.

About half the Americans I meet are miserable.

[hawkeye2009]

Originally Posted by kwflconch

Denmark... Number one for being the happiest

Just like Sweden, Denmark is a Nordic welfare state with most of its services free to the citizens. Expect to pay 72% of your money to the government on the highest income tax bracket. According to Wikipedia Denmark has the worlds highest taxes! When buying a car in Denmark one has to pay 25% VAT to the import price of the vehicle and then a 180% registration tax on top. That means when a car sells for $20 000, you have to pay an additional $45 000 as taxes for the government (total of $65 000). That’s why people in Denmark ride bikes or use one of the best public transport systems in the world. Denmark also has 2 autonomous provinces – the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The latter is over 50 times larger than Denmark but has about 100 times less people.

Sweden... Ranked 7th for happiest

This “welfare state” model is an excellent example of effective national taxes. Among other things the state provides universal tax-funded childcare, parental leave, health care, education (including university), retirement pensions and sick leave. Including value added tax (VAT – kind of like sales tax), it is possible to pay up to 80% of your income as taxes. Contrary to popular belief, Swedes are quite OK with their high taxes. After all it gives them tons of free and high quality services – what’s not to be happy about!

The United States... ranked 17th.

Top 10 happiest countries in the world | Financial Jesus

Logic and statistical error. The presumption is that taxes= happiness. Similarly, I drank coffee this morning and the sky is clear. Therefore my coffee consumption causes clear skies.