[danik]

Taxes are higher, but you don't have to pay for private insurances, healthcare etc. to the same extent.

I don't know why people keep bringing up the level of taxes, it's not important or interesting. What's important is how big part of your salary you need to spend on necessities like government, schools, roads, healthcare and pension. That's what should be measured.

[Vivtek]

I don't know why people keep bringing up the level of taxes

Because it wouldn't be profitable if people looked at service levels instead of an artificial number that made them think they were getting something other than the short end of every stick in their vicinity?

[danik]

I know why politicians do that, but why do people do it here on ycombinator?

[Vivtek]

They really need to think they're not getting short ends of sticks, because if they thought they were being taken for fools by the powerful they'd have to downgrade their self-opinions. Tribal buy-in works on all primates.