Posted on 04/16/2002 2:03:10 PM PDT by vannrox
Switzerland can be a fairly expensive place to live, but the real problem for ex-pats is getting a resident visa. Switzerland makes a determination (as do many countries) as to how much value you will be to Switzerland as a resident. If you will be a business owner, for example, such investment is a plus. You must also prove that you will not be dependent upon the state as a resident.
As for getting Swiss citizenship, most ex-pats can flat forget about it. Among the requirements is the ability to pass an exhaustive written test about the country, its history and its civics system administered in either French, German, or one of the local dialects. You must also show some Swiss lineage, if I'm not mistaken.
Michael
Yeah, that is the way to measure to overall effective tax take.
Could you take total gov't spending, plus or minus deficit or surplus as the numerator, and GDP as the denominater?
Gov't accounting is so weird that probably the result is incalcuable.
I heard something on FoxNews today that made me laugh. Here it is:
It is becoming harder and harder to support our government in the style to which it has become accustomed.
Spending goes up every year, while our darling leaders court us with talk of tax cuts and other dreams of fantasy. Every $40 billion dollar increase in the DOE budget will be paid for by Mr. US taxpayer sooner or later. That holds true with every single budget increase. Tax cuts? Don't make me hurl...
These rates don't reflect all manner of other methods of taxation. State sales tax, state income tax, phone tax, alcohol tax, cigarette tax, gas tax, tax on other utilities, special government surcharges and on and on and on
How true!
We must . . . End Tax Slavery Now; Nov '97
by Jarret B. Wollstein
HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY PAY?
According to the Tax Foundation, in 1994 the average American paid 22.4% of his or her income in federal taxes, plus 11.8% in state and local taxes - 34.2% total.
But that's just the beginning! Dr. James Payne of the University of California found that in addition to direct taxes we also pay huge, hidden taxes including:
- Compliance costs - record keeping, monies spent on tax planning, computers and software purchased to fulfill IRS requirements, etc.
- Enforcement costs - IRS audits, field investigations, service center corrections, criminal investigations, litigation, and forced collections.
- Emotional, moral and cultural costs - families forced onto welfare, time and creative energy lost figuring out how to avoid taxes, etc.
For every $1 we pay in direct taxes, we spend an additional $0.65 in compliance costs. And even that figure doesn't include the cost of import duties, license fees and other government regulations. For a typical U.S. family, the real cost of taxes and regulations is at least:
Federal taxes 22.4% of income
State & local taxes 11.8%
Compliance costs 22.2%
Regulatory costs 12.7%
More than 70% of your income is now consumed as a consequence of all levels of government & government regulation.
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