You're eligible only for making a shopping at Lidl and Netto after work, and for paying Rundfunkbeitrag. As I had heard multiple times while on full time employment in Berlin and seeing over 40% cut off on my monthly payslip: "beggars can't be choosers".
The Rundfunkbeitrag can eat a bag of dicks though, zero argument there.
It would be nice if it wasn't mostly middle class that gets fleeced though, and it would also lovely if more money would flow into keeping infrastructure intact, like schools. But again, that's Berlin for ya.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_...
That's brings it up above 50%
Looking at the list (OECD Taxing Wages), I'm going to hazard a guess that it's a cultural/religious thing - it looks like the drop in the average tax rate as a proportion of household income for a single-earner vs. the same income for a single person is far greater in countries with a significant proportion of Catholics.
In germany, when having a (quite high) 100k pay, you effectively pay aprx. 32% taxes on it. I think thats fair considering wellfare, healthcare, studying, school etc. is free.
42% is just the percentage you pay on the income beyond ~65000. The first 65k are taxed lower (in increasing steps)
Sure, some financial things are very hard in germany. But especially as a "regular" citizen, or when you have hard times, you are cared for quite well.
> when you have hard times, you are cared for quite well.
In hard times you better don't lose Anmeldung (e.g. asshole host deregistering you by sending an email), because then the delicate and expensive support system collapses instantly for you.