However, it is far from the whole story: when you get paid, the employer pays taxes, then the employees pays taxes, and only then, you have your income, which is taxed again.
In the end, you get around half of what your employer pays. It means the "more than 45%" is spot on. It works a bit differently for those who are self employed but the numbers are similar.
It is different for civil servants, and as an associate professor, you are probably one. They are taxed much less, which makes sense since they are paid with tax money.
If you want to account for everything that is removed from your salary between gross cost for the employer and your net after taxes, it will surely be between 50% and 60% in average. But then we can talk about the benefit of all this.
I don't know for you but I strongly prefer that and the ability for everyone to get an education, health, unemployment, retirement, infrastructures, etc. than doubling or even more my own salary. Viruses won't stop spreading if you have money. Health is a social and political issue, not a personal one. I like being able to drive everywhere and not just in cities where people are rich enough to pay for roads. I like that when a friend is fired from their job they can keep their appartement until they find a new job. I like teaching to everyone who wants to learn rather than to the children of people rich enough to pay for tuition fees. I like that my parents will get a retirement salary and won't be in my charge when I may also have kids to take care of.
Now of course our system is not perfect and I largely idealized it here. But it is far better than if everyone would get their gross salary, paid no taxes, and would be able to care only for themselves.
On the contrary, this matches what is "Income tax" in the US.
> If you want to account for everything that is removed from your salary between gross cost for the employer and your net after taxes, it will surely be between 50% and 60% in average. But then we can talk about the benefit of all this.
But that is the discussion, I don't think anyone considered that there are higher taxes in France without any benefit for it.
You pay 0% up to 9807€ of income. Anything above that and under 27086€ you pay 14% on it. Then between that and 72617€ you pay 30% on it. And then between that and 153783€ you pay 41% on it.
Finally, you pay 45% only if you make more than 153783€ per year and again, only on euros that you earn above this threshold.
As an associate professor early in my career my income tax amounts to around 12% of my salary I think.