We do pay a lot of taxes. Too much. However, everything that gets towards social security and healthcare is taken separately from other taxes. I know how much that is for my family. That part is managed quite well, much cheaper in total than the US equivalents, and gives us a good healthcare system that is also affordable and also fosters a lot of medical R&D in the university hospitals.

The rest of the taxes... yeah. Due to the unique structure and history of Belgian, we have an enormous amount of overhead to govern an area and the people that would only take a mayor in the US.