Only because the rich don't pay taxes in the US.

As a middle-class American who lived and worked for a decade in Switzerland (and I made more money there), I can confirm that I always paid less as a percentage in Switzerland.

To the contrary. The top 10% in Switzerland make 23% of the income but pay 21% of the taxes. In the U.S. the top 10% makes 33% of the income but pays 45% of the taxes. See: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-nation-has-most-....

That doesn't say that the top 10 accounts for 45% but that it should account for 45%. That's a big difference.

The problem is that the US tax system is so complex that once you reach a certain level of wealth, it pays for you to have someone find those loopholes. Warren Buffet famously decried that he pays lower taxes than his secretary, for example: http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/04/news/economy/buffett-secreta...

Swiss roads have no potholes, there are no homeless, they have universal healthcare and a free university system. I've lived there and I paid less in taxes, and one big difference is that the wealthy pony up their fair share.

- there are some homeless, but usually import from rest of europe that comes in spring and leaves in autumn, some beggars here and there. - universal PAID healthcare (except dental and eye care, that is extremely expensive and out of your pocket) - free university - only state ones, private are costly. - roads are better than elsewhere and drivers are actually nice :)

wealthy pay, superwealthy just a bit due to special tax deals (which still benefits the country compared to them leaving for say Monaco or gazillion of other tax havens all around the globe).

Switzerland has a 8% VAT.

That's lower than a number of US cities.

and only 2.5% on essentials like food