The following news is from ANSA:
(ANSA) - Rome, March 11 - Italian salaries are among the
lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development and in Europe with take-home pay below those in
Greece and Spain, according to a report by the (OECD).
Looking at data for 2007, the OECD put Italy in 23rd
place for net, after-tax income among its 30 members.
At $19,861, Italy was below both the OECD average salary,
$24,660, and the average for the euro zone, $26.434.
The OECD ranking was made on take-home pay for an
unmarried employee, adjusted for purchasing power in each
country.


PS I do not understand how the cost of living could be so high in Italy and real Estate prices that seem completely disattached from the average income... well unless from now on they will start providing 100 years mortgages.

Is there a website that lists the Italian tax rates?
It just makes me sick thinking about trying to get a job there.
thanks Paolo

those data are misleading, because we are the first european country for tax evasion

however I think that italian taxes are just too high. tho only one that seems right to me is the capital gains tax, 12,5%

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Italiani : esperti nell'arte dell' arrangiarsi

I agree - there are no obvious signs of poverty here - people employ "badanti" (sp?), gardeners, builders etc. and the bars and restaurants are full at the weekends - certainly some people at least have money to spend. As for tax evasion........we have recently bought a new house, and the number of invoices we have that don't quite tally with the amount we paid has to be seen to be believed! (OK, they are the same amount as the amount paid by cheque, but for some reason around half of the total needs to be paid in cash..........................)

marco_mi - I was told told that the tax paid by employers is nearly as much as they pay the employee, which is why there are so few "fully legal" jobs available - is this true?

well these are the 2009 Irpef Rate
Irpef = Imposta sul Reddito delle PErsone Fisiche = Fisical Person Income Tax

Income < 15.000€ --> Rate 23%
15.000€ < Income < 28.000€ --> Rate 27%
28.000€ < Income < 55.000€ --> Rate 38%
55.000€ < Income < 75.000€ --> Rate 41%
75.000€ < Income --> Rate 43%


An employer who gains 80.000€ has an after tax income of 52.430€
An employee who gains 40.000€ has an after tax income of 28.500€

Well this is only the Irpef Tax, so you have to subtract all the other tax as addizionale irpef (additional irpef) contributi INPS (pension contributions) and many others...
no wonder if managers ask to be paid with stock options, so they have only the 12,5% capital gain tax



By the way the first tax evaders in Italy are the member of parliament, as they make their assistants ( i don't know how to say this in english, in italian is "lavorare in nero", means work unofficially for someone, without official income, pension contributions etc., the payroll is cash.)
Now guess what happened after this journalistic report? Nothing.

Italian proverb
Il pesce puzza sempre dalla testa
Fish always smells from the top

__________________
Italiani : esperti nell'arte dell' arrangiarsi

Italian salaries are the lowest but the number of vacation days is the highest:
Italy 42 days
France 37 days
Germany 35 days
Brazil 34 days
United Kingdom 28 days
Canada 26 days
Korea 25 days
Japan 25 days
U.S. 13 days

US 13 days, Italy 42 days
US 13 days, Italy 42 days
US 13 days, Italy 42 days

I repeated these rows on purpose... it is shocking to me. But no one can have it all...

I'll conclude this post with the quote that after 13+ years in the US became one of my favorite.

125 years ago Herbert Spencer wrote, 'Life is not for learning, nor is life for working,' said Spencer, 'but learning and working are for life'.

Woot! They know how to live! They don't call it "La dolce vita" for nothing... è precisamente la ragione per quale vivrò là...

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So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this,
And this gives light to thee.

That is an average of 3 days a month. Cool!!!

Coming from Ireland where we have supposedly some of the highest wages and the highest cost of living and housing but with absolutely no quality of life (and now an economy that it is generally accepted it will take DECADES to fix) it is very interesting to read the above.

As some of you may know I am planning to trach English, not known for it's high wages but i definitley see other advantages;

Becoming fluent in another language
The weather
The quality and price of food
How stupidly beautiful it is.

I know that there are issues with the black economy and the problems with the politicians and there allowances etc are just as bad in Ireland and UK.

The best paid world lead is the Irish prime minister - more then the President of the USA, most of those that sit in the Irish parliament are paid more then British MP's and minsters.

The problem that the world is facing is that wages have not kept up with house prices and house prices need to come back down to 3x the average salary, the problem that Italy has is that there are alot of romantic people from around the world who want to buy, but hopefully that will die down in the next few years.

That proverb about the fish rotting from the head first is a favourite!!

i remember when i was a student
summer holidays were from the first week of june to the first week of september

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Italiani : esperti nell'arte dell' arrangiarsi