THERE is never a time when some people don't think they pay too much tax - whether it's through income tax and national insurance, council tax or VAT.
Tax-efficient savings plans such as individual savings accounts and pensions help offset the effects of tax, but they do nothing to help the amount of money we receive in our pockets.
If you think you can no longer cope financially because the Chancellor takes too much of your hard-earned cash, you could always head off to work in the United Arab Emirates, Russia or Hong Kong, where you would get a better return after tax on your earnings than in the UK.
While we all think the grass is greener in countries such as these, a report out this week from investment services provider Mercer reveals that this is not necessarily the case. Residents of countries such as Hungary, Belgium and Denmark are considerably worse off than we are.
The latest Worldwide Individual Tax Comparator Report looks at the
net salary as a percentage of gross income in 32 countries for a single person, a married couple with no children and a married couple with two children.
Across the three categories, the UAE comes out top with people enjoying a 95 per cent return on their gross income, as the country doesn't assess any income tax and the country's social security contributions amount to only 5 per cent of an employee's gross salary.
Russia, ranked second, applies a flat rate of tax of 13 per cent across all income levels, while Hong Kong - in third place - charges taxes and social security contributions of just 14.2 per cent of gross basic salary.
At the other end of the scale, Belgium is the worst place to go if you are single as you will only take home 49.5 per cent of your gross salary, while if you are married - with or without children - in Hungary you will get just 51.5 per cent.
And what of the UK? Well, here we are just average if you are single, coming in at equal 14th with India, Australia and the US, 21st if you are married with no children and 18th if you are married with children.
Local taxation has an obvious impact on take-home pay and, in some countries with low or zero tax rates, it is an important incentive for people to work abroad.
In other, high-tax destinations, employers need to create compensation packages that at least match their expatriates' purchasing power in the UK.
But it is not just the local taxes that have to be taken into account when deciding whether it is financially benefit to move abroad. Other important considerations include the general "cost of living" and the costs of housing and schooling, for example.
Needless to say, the UAE is a strong draw for expatriates, particularly on short-term assignments. Markus Wiesner, Mercer's head of operations in Dubai said: "For three to five years, young professionals can fast-track their savings to afford a mortgage when they return home, while senior executives can maximise their savings potential ahead of retirement."
So there you have it. If you want to pay less tax, go to the searing sun of the UAE, the freezing cold of a Russian winter, or the steamy heat of Hong Kong.
And what if you are unsure if you want to remain single or get married? Try Brazil, India or Turkey, where married employees have similar tax rates to single workers.
WITH just a month to go until Christmas, concerns over debt are uppermost in the minds of as many as one in ten of the population, who feel they may not be able to keep on top of their borrowing. While it's crucial that those in need receive help, it's worth pointing out there are a lot of people with their borrowings under control.
