Paying A Ridiculously High Tax
I got my first salary this week. Yipeee! Yes, it is in dolar (double yipeee), and yes, it's my first salary ever. Well, I got money from writing book, but we call it a royalty. And I also got money from my previous business, and we call it a share. Mine is not that big compare to other worker, cause it is just as the award rate (or UMR* in our country). What surprised me is the tax rate. They cut almost 29% of my salary for the tax. Now I am a very generous person 'to donate' this wealthy country from one-third of my money. That's just great! Here, a temporary resident (or what we call it expat) pays higher tax than a citizen or a permanent resident. Argh, at least I know where the money goes. It goes to the comfy trains and buses. It goes to the parks (with the free barbecue stand) and playgrounds. It goes to the free education for my kid. It goes to the library with thousands books to read and hundreds DVDs to see. As a good citizen (of our beloved country), I also p