yes, it's true ! you work your butt off and when you get your pay slip you discover that someone else has "latched on" to your pay check !

and i don't mean your spouse !

the Israeli government seems to think that all the citizens are it's slaves and therefore they act like an employment agency, in a way.

anyone who's ever worked for an employment agency, especially before the law was changed several years ago, knows what I mean.

you pay income tax and health insurance (which doesn't give you any health insurance - you still need to pay kaput cholim) and national insurance (bituach leumi = social security).

it makes you wonder when this adds up to quite a substantial sum, sometimes reaching over 50% of the gross pay and benefits !