CHARTS: The Highest Effective Personal Tax Rates In The World

By admin on January 9, 2013

A country’s personal income tax rate is only one indicator of how much tax an individual actually ends up paying on their income, according to a report by KPMG.

“Our broader analysis further emphasizes the point that other taxes and the impact of deductions clearly need to be considered…Interestingly, the difference between top tax rates and effective combined tax and employee social security rates shows that neither of the two countries with the largest top marginal tax rates (Aruba and Sweden) feature among the top five countries when we use either USD100,000 or USD300,000 as a basis for comparison,” write the authors.

“Whether social security is a true tax is a topic of continued debate, but in terms of cost, it can be material and should not be ignored.”

For someone with a gross income of $ 100,000 a year, these are the forty countries in which they would have to shell out the most for, tax and social security combined. The United States is much further down the list, being the 55th most expensive country on the list.

Effective Income Tax and Social Security Rates on USD100,000 of Gross Income
tax top 40

Download the full infographic here.

Here’s what the same chart would look like for someone with a gross income of $ 300,000. The United States ranks a bit higher on this list, but only by the littlest bit, being the 53rd most expensive.

For someone making the $ 300,000, France is the most expensive country in which one can live. This explains why French actor Gerard Depardieu, who earns way more than that, is renouncing his citizenship and might move to Russia.

Effective IncomeTax and Social Security Rates on USD300,000 of Gross Income
tax top40 300k