it is time to press your government for Resident based taxation and join the rest of the very world

[davidpdx]

12. Very interesting to hear your story from Germany

The base taxes here in Korea (for employment) are 3.3%. Where they get you (and get you good) is the VAT tax and the vehicle registration tax. The VAT tax is 10% on everything including healthcare. The vehicle registration tax depends on what kind of ride you have. Mine is a POS 2007 GM Daewoo, but I still pay $340 a year in taxes for it. I also had to pay an acquisition tax when I bought the car. Same with real estate for the acquisition tax. The property tax isn't bad, we pay $120 a year for our teeny tiny apartment (did I say it was tiny). All together with health insurance it adds up.

I finished my doctorate last year and was employed for the most of the year (I had only had a job during the first couple terms of my doctorate), so I had quite a few exemptions with school being the biggest. I had to fight with them over that one. Next year I'm not going to be so lucky. Though I'm done paying tuition, I don't get the nice write off.