However, if you look at taxes per person, the US is right in the middle of the pack. (Lower fraction of GDP cancels out higher GDP.) http://gregmankiw.blogspo

However, if you look at taxes per person, the US is right in the middle of the pack. (Lower fraction of GDP cancels out higher GDP.) http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2010/03/taxes-per-person.html http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2010/03/taxes-per-person.html see also http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=4626 http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=4626 In other words, the US govt gets enough money to provide the services of "high tax" countries but doesn't manage to do so. Example - the US govt's health care spending per resident is about equal to that of countries with single payer yet the US govt doesn't even try to cover everyone. Instead, most of those residents pay for their own healthcare....