Europe tax model delivers much more - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Writing in the Sacramento Bee, Steven Hill claims that European tax model offers a great many benefits for the taxes that people pay into the system:

The fact is, in return for their taxes, Europeans are receiving a generous support system for families and individuals for which Americans must pay exorbitantly, out-of-pocket, if we are to receive it at all. That includes quality health care for every single person, the average cost of which is about half of what Americans pay, even as various studies show that Europeans achieve healthier results.

That's not all. In return for their taxes, Europeans also receive affordable child care, a decent retirement pension, free or inexpensive university education, job retraining, paid sick leave, paid parental leave, ample vacations, affordable housing, senior care, efficient mass transportation and more.

To get the same level of benefits as Europeans, most Americans fork out a ton of money in out-of-pocket payments, in addition to taxes.

While 47 million Americans don't have any health insurance, many who do are paying escalating premiums and deductibles. Indeed, Anthem Blue Cross announced that its premiums will increase by up to 40 percent.

But all Europeans receive health care in return for a modest amount deducted from their paychecks.

Well that "modest amount" usually amounts to something like 50% in addition to things like a Value Added Tax on just about every consumer item they purchase.

But here are two things that a European tax model can't deliver:

1. Incentives to make one's life better by working harder to build a business
2. A higher standard of living than even lower middle class Americans have.



Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/15/2679568/europe-tax-model-delivers-much.html#ixzz0lGrhdI2z