Dave

I have a little more then the 35.000 if you talk about netto salary but then in €.Calcualted in Cad $ it's a lot more but i work in 5 shift system and the company where I work is one of the best in payment.I have no exact idea but I suppose salary in Canada can be compared with that in Flemish part of Belgium.

On a earlier fiscal year document I found that on a bruto yearly salary of around 55.000 € ,24.000 goes to goverment rest around 31.000 €.Take also we pay yearly driving tax,everytime you buy a car you pay some kind of "bringing on traffic tax".So even if you sell the car after a month the new guys pays again this tax which lowers by age.The fuel price is so high because of the tax too.We pay also tax on houses,property ,water puration,water pollution and next to come is a CO2 emission tax + tax on everything we buy in the stores.Only second hand goods can be sold without tax besides car and bikes.

Like I said medical cost is low but if you don't need a doctor you have not big profit of that benefit.Bus ,tram and trains are cheap too.But I guess you can left more in Canada compared to here with simular salary.Many Flemish became wealthy by owning houses which they bring on the market for rent.Housing prices are still high even at the crisis they didn't drop much.In fact i sold my parents house a little to quick and to low.

Would you guys in Europe get your act together already, This Greece Crap is really killing my portfolio today.

Well Dave I don't think this problem will be solved quickly.Heard today on the news that a member of the ECB has resigned.Like I said before the problem is here in Europe we have to much leaders with a Euro president which is in fact a marrionet of Germany and France mostly.It's very hard for Germany and France they had to give money to countries with so much debt problems which need to reform heavily but where the politians are not acting enough and strongly to give a good sign to investors.But of course these meassures are very unpopular and there is the bottleneck of all the problems because these guys have fear of election lost.Same in Belgium.Do you know we have still no new government and this after more then almost 1.5 years election.