I took the time to look this up after watching Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Pat Toomey say that only Japan had a higher tax rate than the United States. As Pat Tommey is a Republican I knew he was lying. What he meant to say was the USA is surpassed only by Japan with the highest CORPORATE tax rate. That is because most all other OECD member nations have a hefty VAT tax that changes that dynamic.
This information, like most international economic comparisons is taken from the The OECD I did find the conservative Heritage Foundation had done some similar calculating with almost the same results. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development
The calculations are done with that is called the "tax wedge" which is the combined effects of personal income tax, employee and employer social security contributions, payroll taxes, cash benefits and other such criteria.
The United States has the 8th lowest tax rate of the 30 member nations and complains the loudest. We want it all, we want it now and we don’t like paying for it. We are a Queen song!
The average effective tax rate for the United states is 28%. United Kingdom has about the world average at 36% and Denmark is the highest at 59% where they drink lots of Heinies and smoke pot to compensate.
From lowest to highest:
Korea
Mexico
New Zealand
Ireland
Japan
Australia
Iceland
USA
Switzerland
Canada
UK
Luxembourg
Portugal
Norway
Slovania
Netherlands
Greece
Spain
Denmark
Turkey
Poland
Czech Republic
Finland
Italy
Austria
Sweden
Hungary
France
Germany
Belgium
And you know, I’m willing to bet my last dollar that all the countries with higher tax rates than the USA have less crime, less prisons, less violence, fewer wars, better health care, better retirement, better housing, less disparity of wealth and can let their kids walk to school and go for a walk at night.
As to the 7 nations with lower tax rates than the US:
Korea – I spent a year there and found they have no trees. Never saw one. They eat trees instead of dishing out food stamps. And they have lots of rocks.
Mexico – How this 3rd World country got on this list I do not know, but they sure don’t spend much on Law and Order hey?
New Zealand – Orcs are not taxed because they won’t pay anyway.
Ireland – The nation of get drunk and fight has not only the Pope, but Leprechauns with pots of gold taking care of things.
Japan – They live in closets.
Australia – Free Rooburgers, shrimp on the Barby and big knives! Who needs taxes?
Iceland – Free thermal energy and less people than can fit in my backyard.