I think you might be minimizing the impact of the VAT. It's my understanding that this isn't just applied at point of sale, it is applied anytime a manufacturer buys raw materials, utilities, etc... So this tax becomes multiplied on itself as a product moves through the manufacturer/distributor chain yielding much higher taxes.
Greg | 06.01.07 - 7:37 am | #

can i just have the dinner?
Rob | Homepage | 06.01.07 - 9:50 am | #

how does the personal income tax compare?
cicero | 06.01.07 - 9:59 am | #

Leonardo, thanks for the reply to my comment and for this followup. This is (necessarily) getting quite wonkish. Someone smarter than me could write a 1000 page book on this, complete with number-crunching appendices.

However, isn't everyone getting fucked? I'm not trying to play down this discussion by any means, but it's depressing that the study of current health care systems boils down to which is the least bad.
Nate_In_08 | 06.04.07 - 5:17 am | #