The rest of the world gets its local revenues from property taxes and not income taxes, so the Misery calculation would not change-the exceptions being Belgian taxes, Swiss cantonal levies and Germany's local trade taxes, which vary widely.
The National Housing Federation NHFF) said its survey demonstrated that the bedroom tax was "heaping misery and hardship" on already struggling families who were unable to pay their rent but unable to find anywhere cheaper to live because of a shortage of smaller homes.
Moreover, if expatriates decide to enroll in the French social security system and pay the brutally high taxes (see: "The Misery Index")–they receive full state-run health care which is among the most comprehensive in Europe.
Look also at the social taxes for flat-tax countries in the Misery Index; for example, in Romania they reach almost 47%.
It requires a well co-ordinated, firm, top-down response, and the spending of tax revenue to alleviate misery, on the strict basis of need rather than worthiness.
