Probably due to the fact that this country was founded on the idea of less taxation and less government control overall; the idea has been ingrained in us since birth. That seems to be changing with each generation though. Those who were comfortable with the control and oversight of the government in Europe back then stayed in Europe and didn't come to America.


>>>SNIP
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>>>>As a Federal income tax (i.e. not an accumulation of all of the taxs/fees paid to the various government levels) I think 55% maximum is realistic.
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>>>55%? You're kidding, right? You think it's acceptable to pay 55% of your income in taxes? I wouldn't even think that if the benefits included full medical (no copays and no deductibles and no max benefit) for every person.
>>
>>Please, note that Jim proposes 55% for Fed income tax only. Total number could easily get to 75% now.
>>Jim, you did not answer about chances to adopt the cap. What is your opinion? Btw, I would discuss the issue in broad aspect, not as just related to USA or to Canada only.
>
>I understand that there are (or have been) countries where even higher tax rates exist(ed), so it seems to me that there are places where no "cap" would matter.
>But I think that U.S. or Canada citizens wouldn't let a "cap" be exceeded.
>
>And let's not forget that a tax rate (for a rich guy) of 55% is not really 55% because it is a graduated scale. As JakeS calculated, the "28%" tax rate for a couple earning $150,000 is really 21% when the scaled values are applied.
>
>I understand that lots of European countries have higher tax rates than the U.S. They ALSO have a handsome VAT that is paid on every purchase made. Yet they complain far far less than Americans do.