European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tax rates around the world top income rate including social Security for a National of the particular country married with two children. Co Mexico Argentina Brazil . Spain Italy 73.4% France Germany Egypt Russia Australia Chin and you thought the irs was a pain by the associated press like her counterparts around the world Swiss taxpayer Johanna Weiss finds filing taxes a Pencil breaking hair pulling Coffee drinking exercise in frustration. And some pay twice the . Rates. Quot i never can find All the receipts i need even though i make special files for them. And the bureaucratic wording of the forms drives me crazy Quot said Weiss. A worldwide associated press Survey shows americans have lots of company in their distaste for filing tax returns. The wealthiest swedes must hand Over half their income to the government and Eastern europeans Are discovering that revolution has its Price. Indians and italians Are notorious for evading taxes while most chinese Are legally exempt. Like form 1040 and its attachments documents around the world can be complicated. And the taxes can be Steep up to 60 percent for the wealthiest in the Netherlands China and Russia. Against those rates the top . Figure of 31 percent does t look so bad. Switzerland is much like the United states with lower taxes than Many countries but with income tax returns required by Federal state and local governments. Only a third of British taxpayers a those with untaxed earnings and benefits including company cars a Are supposed to fill out returns themselves. In Many countries companies fill out returns for their readers action Liberec Center levies big phone surcharge it a i just arrived from the states. I went to the Graves recreation Center to use the phone to Call the states. I spoke for 7 minutes and when i got off the phone it was $37.80, which was a lot More than i expected. It is my understanding that the charges Are 23 pfennig per Click i had 108 Clicks. I have since found out the charge is 35 cents per Click at the rec Center. Nobody could Tell me Why there Are no signs posted saying this fact or that its almost twice As expensive to Call from Post. My husband also made a phone Call to his brother in Nurnberg Germany. The Cost was 70<� and no one answered the phone. We were stationed in Italy in 1989 and there was no markup like this. In fact we could use at amp to right from the phone Center i would also like to know what is the reason for the social Security number and if t s needed Why is there no privacy act to accompany this i believe that is required should t a sign be posted explaining the rates and surcharge associated to this when compared to using a German Fione Booth. Barbara l. Deschner Aschaffenbur Germany Lori d. Taimanglo program director Community recreation Center Aschaffenbur military Community replies sources corporate resources group employees. Woe to anyone in Italy with outside income filing taxes usually takes hours of waiting in line at the Bank or Post office. And that comes after tackling the dreaded 740 tax form which comes with a thick instruction Booklet most of the self employed get help from accountants. And the temptation is great just to forget it. Tax evasion is High in Italy and some other countries like Mexico except when companies take care of returns. Wealthy indians Are required by Law to have accountants verify their lengthy returns. Many owners of Small businesses Are believed to evade taxes. Sweden used to take 72 percent of top incomes but the rate has recently been Cut to 51 percent. In the Netherlands an estimated 50 percent of taxpayers find new Quot simplified Quot forms so complicated they still have to hire accountants. East europeans Are learning that the move to democracy and capitalism also brings new tax systems. In the former soviet Union and elsewhere taxes were deducted at work and almost no one had to fill out returns it is the recreation Center s policy to have the customer who is requesting to use the Telephone service fill out information on our standardized log form. The form requests the following information name number calling unit and phone number and social Security number. Written below this information is the amount of the Deposit the number of the phone Booth the customer will be using and the total number of Clicks times the rate of 35 cents. The customer circles Cash or Check. When the customer has completed his Call the employee on duty will fill in the number of registered Clicks and multiply this amount by 35 cents to come up with the amount due. As an additional Courtesy staff members will verbally inform the customer of the rate they will be charged. We thank you for your suggestions and have since posted a sign with our rates in each phone Booth. A customer has the option of using our at amp to services if he wishes to place a collect Call or have an at amp to card. There Are other at amp to telephones located throughout the Aschaffenbur military Community for customer convenience. The rate of 35 cents a Click May indeed seem High but the income is used to cover non appropriated fund labor expenses and our Telephone service expenses with any additional profits going Back into the Community one fund. This fund is used for a variety of services offered to the military Community. The fund is set up to help cover expenses for special events construction of new bal Fields purchasing new equipment and needed repairs Etc. We find our rates comparable to other military communities offering this service. A / r. Dominguez. That remains True for most russians and tax  developed for the rapidly growing private sector have yet to be fully implemented. In Japan tax time would pass almost unnoticed if it weren to for the attention Given by the news Media to famous actresses and other Public figures delivering their returns to the tax office. Very few chinese have to pay income taxes and the procedure is simple for those like actors and businessmen who do fill out a Short form go to the tax office and pay what they Are told they owe. Virtually everywhere people pay taxes As they go either through withholding at work or by payments every few months by professionals and the self employed. The european practice is to put Only income and proposed deductions on the return then wait until the government checks each return and decides what is owed in taxes. The wealthy around the world who stash Money in secret Swiss Bank accounts Don t have to fill out returns for Switzerland. The Swiss government has their tax already a the Banks withhold 35 percent of All interest payments and turn it Over to the government. When the Telephone system was installed the meters were programmed to begin clicking Only when the phone was picked up at the receiving end. We have not encountered any problems with this system. We have been informed by the Aschaffenbur Legal assistance office that we Are not required to Post the privacy act when requesting an individual s social Security number. From time to time we Are faced with a situation in which an individual has moved to his next duty station or has separated from the military and has an outstanding debt with the recreation Center. Having an individual s social Security number is the quickest and most reliable source for locating the individual. We appreciate the writer s concern and Hope this has helped Clear up any confusion regarding our policy. For any additional questions or information regarding this matter please Call the Community recreation Center at ets 323-8987.i to write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. All letters must be signed and preference with be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes monday april 20, 1992