OP's dubious math aside, the US tax dollar doesn't really feel like it goes as far as it does in many European countries. Public transportation prices are extremely high nationwide, infrastructure is lacking, healthcare and education expenses will break the bank, and welfare programs don't really cut the mustard. Yes, a majority of Americans don't pay any income taxes; but a ~50% income tax in a country like Sweden feels like a fairer deal than an equivalent tax rate (and it does get this high for upper-middle-class incomes in many states) in the US.