Which Countries Pay The Most Income Tax?

Niall McCarthy

The amount of tax and social security contributions paid by an average person varies hugely between countries and is dependent on a whole host of factors from earnings to marital status. A recent report has revealed that income tax rates stabilized in OECD countries in 2015 at 35.9 percent after consecutive increases since 2011.

Belgium has the highest income tax burden of all OECD nations for a single earner with no children.

A single person working there would have an income tax rate of 55.3 percent compared to 40.4 percent for a married earner with two children. Single earners in Germany also face high tax rates of 49.4 percent while a worker with the same status in the United States would endure a tax burden of 31.7 percent.

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