I do know that some of you are bucketing those that compare with other systems and countries but… if improvements are desired..seeing how things are done differently or…heaven forbid, might be better, how else but compare?
One bone of contention, at least in Australia is that taxation is always seen as bad. Indeed our present government is doing away with taxation as much as they can. Especially big business such as mining companies are being lavished with tax cuts or no tax. The results are creaking infrastructures, hospitals, schools, roads and ..miserable low levels of pension payments. So, here an example of a country which charges 24% GST and 50% taxation on income.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/11/dutch_pensioners_are_best_off.php

Dutch pensioners are best off, and just 1.4% live in poverty: OECD Tuesday 26 November 2013

Dutch pensioners enjoy a proportionately higher pension than the over 65s in any other developed country, according to new research from the OECD. On average, Dutch pensioners have an income of 91.4% of their average salary, the Paris-based body said in a new report. The OECD average is 58%, while within the European Union the figure is slightly higher at 60%. Dutch pensioners also have proportionately the most disposable income after the deduction of taxes, the OECD said. On average, they have almost 4% more to spend than their average net income. In the OECD as a whole, pensioners have 30% less disposable cash. Just 1.4% of Dutch pensioners can be considered as living below the poverty line, compared with an OECD average of 13%. © DutchNews.nl – See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/11/dutch_pensioners_are_best_off.php#sthash.j39cEjdw.dpuf