Norway is also one of the few remaining countries that have a wealth tax (among OECD countries, the only other one is Switzerland), which is currently at 0.85% of all net assets above 1.4m NOK, including cash, public and private stock, cars, boats, and of course real estate. Material assets such as real estate is assessed based on tables that take square footage, age, etc. into consideration. The tax is, unusually and somewhat controversially, uncapped. In theory, you could end up owing 100% or more of your income in wealth tax.

Netherlands also has a wealth tax.

It's a bit different. Also, no capital gains tax.

Average income tax (as taken from your paycheck), seems to be around 30% - it’s lower than many other north west European countries

But coupled with the VAT of 25% the effective tax rate is closer to 50%.

The top marginal tax rate band is around 50%. Very few people pay that much income tax, or anywhere near it so it's highly misleading most people is near it. A large portion of the population are close to seeing a small portion of their income taxed at the marginal rates because Norwegian incomes are unusually flat and high, yes.

But according to OECD taxing wages 2019, the median tax and social security contribution for a single person with no children in full time employment in Norway is 27.5% vs 23.8% for the US.

Of course the US varies significantly by state.

Sales tax has relatively low impact as you spend a relatively low portion of your income on things taxed at the full rate.

You can calculate what you would pay using

    https://skattekalkulator2018.app.skatteetaten.no/?aar=2018&alder=63&alderEF&kommune&locale=en_UK&sivilstand=UGIFT&tolvdelVedArbeidsoppholdINorge=12&tolvdelVedArbeidsoppholdINorgeEF=12&vilHaTolvdel=false

For an unmarried person with 500 kNOK income (56288 USD), no debts, no investments, and a house worth 2 000 kNOK (225152 USD) the annual tax is

    134 991 NOK

That's just short of 27%.

Someone with an income of 300 kNOK and a home worth 1 000 kNOK the tax pays half that:

    61 571 NOK

About 20.5%.

If you have children you pay less tax.

But where/how does the money get spent?

Surely the government doesn’t burn it.

And a better metric would be to look at tax burden, because top marginal rates are just that: what you pay on our last dollar, not your first. Sales tax isn’t charged on rent/food/property so it’s only charged on a small percentage of one’s after-tax income.