You need to be going in either 90k or over 125k as for the reasons you’ve mentioned. No salary's exist in the middle for exactly the reason you said.
No, this is not true. There are plenty of roles that offer between 100 and 125k.
If you earn over 125, you are still paying that 60% or so on the 25k between 100 and 125. Your effective tax rate drops a bit as you earn over that, but you don't avoid the tax in that interval.
If you earn over 125, you are still paying that 60% or so on the 25k between 100 and 125. Your effective tax rate drops a bit as you earn over that, but you don't avoid the tax in that interval.