The French will be forgiven for celebrating the Friday feeling more than usual this week, given that they will be free from the clutches of the French tax man. It calculates how much tax, social charges and VAT a person must pay to the state compared to what they earn on average. An annual study by the liberal think tank the Molinari Institute has concluded that French workers are the most taxed in Europe – above even the Belgians who held have previously held the unfortunate title. James Rogers, associate researcher at the Institut économique Molinari said: "The Belgian and French workers spend more than half of the amounts distributed by their employers and taxes. Based on figures from EY (formerly Ernst and Young) French workers hand over some 57.5 percent of their salaries to the state in various kinds of taxes compared to 56.9 percent in Belgium.

Source: The Local July 26, 2016 15:22 UTC