Hacker News Reader

Comment by nforgerit | Hacker News Reader

German here. You mean the German education system that has been going down the last 2-3 decades? Are you even aware that the German tax system is redirecting tax income from smaller companies to richer ones (e.g. if they soon introduce "reduced electricity prices" for some heavy industry companies)? Are you aware that the system taxes employees relatively high and companies and capital income pretty low with thousands of tax exempts? Are you aware that government service cost are skyrocketing because they didn't reform anything in the recent 2 decades? Are you aware they poured ~4bn EUR into "digitization" of government services and nothing's working?

The whole system has been broken by corporate lobbies and unethical politicians who just wanted to be voted for. Now tell me about the great social system in Germany that is worth all the tax money.

View on HN

I am sorry but you can not work in the company or build a company in the country and avoid taxes. Your taxes go directly into these things. All the rest of the society has to pay taxes, they can't avoid taxes on their car via an elaborate foreign holding structure. The only way to change it to your liking is via politics, or build it in a different country respecting their rules. Get involved in local politics, especially the state of the school system and many other things are decided on a very low level that can be directly influenced by your district.

Everyone contributes and we get back free education (our universities are still good btw. and for certain topics really good) and from what I hear about schools from parents they still work, even with expanded care times. Bürgergeld exists if you really hit a rough spot. Super cheap public transit (50€ per month!) and autobahn is still existing.

You say that what Germans lack in competence they make up with arrogance, but it's really to complain about everything and be super pessimistic all the time. You can not just choose to avoid taxes, that's just highly unethical and unfair to everyone who's paying their share and super selfish. I stand by my word:

F*k you if you avoid taxes

I highly respect your idealism. I really do. I used to think like that around 15 years ago. I'm still some kind of social democrat by heart (not the party but rather the concept).

But what I learned in recent couple of years is that German leadership (rich people, old industries, bureaucrats, managers, politicians et al) set up a system that is actively squeezing out the middle-class. Doesn't really matter which subystem you're looking at (healthcare, public transport, education, taxation, civil services, childcare, housing, pensions, energy, and more) you'll see that all things have been set up to make rich people richer and let the other 99% struggle with pretty much everything.

I'm not avoiding any taxes and strongly believe in social systems with solidarity and help for the weaker people, but I learned that (a) change is not welcome (rather actively prohibited) in Germany and (b) fighting windmills just lets you burn out.

>I am sorry but you can not work in the company or build a company in the country and avoid taxes.

Literally all billionaires and big companies are doing it.

non-German living in Germany, I couldn't agree more. When I complain about this, Germans usually reply with 'then go back to your home'.

Ha, that's a very typical answer my compatriots would give. What Germans lack in competence they make up with arrogance. That just seems to be our thing.

>Germans usually reply with 'then go back to your home'

"You're country is corrupt as hell."

Eastern Europeans: "We know"

Germans : "Then go back to your country" OR "Impossible, we're Europe's number one economy!!!11one"

And you have not seen Italy!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com