European labor regulation and European tax rates have nothing to do with each other. The former is about restrictions on how employers can treat employees. The latter is about funding a robust welfare state. For what it's worth, both are good.
I live in Europe and pay 52% marginal. I considered moving to California and it turned out that I'd be paying about 50% marginal. So not sure it makes that much difference.
Even if this is completely correct, you would be paid more in California, right? Or at the very least have better purchasing power. That would come at the cost of security of course, but considering the state of EU governments it's no clear how long that security will last really...
> Even if this is completely correct, you would be paid more in California, right?
Correct, at the time it was about a 50% increase. However, given my food & shelter costs it would have ended up being more expensive for me to live in California.
The post I replied to was about high levels of taxation, which exist in the US also (the treatment of capital gains would have been much more favourable to me).
Labor protection does not "cost money". It is a limit on the degree to which workers can be exploited.