You think that you have it bad for tax, then pity the poor French, this is the deductions in a percentage of my gross salary including what the employer has to pay in relation to my wages from a wage slip of mine dating a few years back
Social Securitie Sickness 0.750% employee, 12.80% employer
Old Age Widows pension 0.100% employee
Old Age Pension 6.550% employee 8.20% employer
Old Age Pension 1.60% employer
Family Benefit 5.40% employer
Other retirement fund 0.800% employee 1.20% employer
Ditto 0.250% employee 0.250% employer
Ditto 3.75% employee 3.75% employer
Ditto 0.100% employee 0.150% employer
Ditto for part time workers 0.900% employer
Unemployment Benefit 2.40% employee 4.00% employer
Ditto 0.450% employer
Repayment of State Debt 5.10% employee
To this you have to add income tax (this also includes the council tax & TV licence) which is paid some time in May after you have filled in the tax form and sent it back by the middle of April, and its for the whole house, IE all the wage earners of the family
This is not as grim as it sounds, there are a lot of allowances, based on different circumstances, like old age, a handicapped person, young children
The pair of us, 1 with old age and the other a handicapped pension do not pay tax at all and our income is the best part of £15000 a year
