Minimum Wage around the World

[Losonti Tokash]

Well, I haven't had a raise in over a year, but at the moment I make $5.55 an hour. They do give us free stuff as part of working here, though, so I do save a bit on tickets and soda and crap like that.

[LadyTevar]

We should look at stuff like how much the person on a minimum wage has left in their pocket after paying for their accomodation, and then at basic things like the cost of a pint of milk or a loaf of bread.

Herm... How much I have left. Okay. This last paycheck, after taxes, I received $416.06 net pay. I had $26 left from the last paycheck, which gave me a grant total of $436 (we'll drop the pennies, ok?)

My car payment was $350
Renewing my car liscense plate was $30
Paying the Phone bill was $55.
Grand total for the bills thus far: $435.

Money left until next paycheck: $1.
Next Paycheck: April 30th.

One bill (doctor) for $150 left, unable to even send a partial payment.
No grocery money.
No gas money.

[The Yosemite Bear]

*sniff*

poor Tevar
poor Nitram

[LadyTevar]

*sniff*

poor Tevar
poor Nitram

We're surviving, YB. Nitram's paycheck for that period was $50. He used it to take me out to dinner on our anniversary.

[The Yosemite Bear]

how romantic....

I spent my tax refund repairing my car, and sarah paid for my diabetes meds...

of course I'm in the process of buying sarah's old car....

[Robert Treder]

Out of curiosity, Tevar, what do you and Nitram do that pays like that? If'n you don't mind my asking, that is.

CA minimum wage is $6.75, though I think Santa Clara County sets it slightly higher (not sure, though). At Hollywood Video, we were encouraged to hire people as close to minimum wage as possible. The problem with that is that at $7.00/hr, you cannot survive here. Corporate was always bitching and moaning that we paid people too much, but they were used to paying people in Arizona and West Virginia and places like that.

I work at LensCrafters now, and make about $1500 a month, depending on commission. And that's for a job which only requires you to pass the interview process.
If I were you, Tevar, I'd take your limey and move out here. You can get a one bedroom apartment for $900 a month. Then you'd get to take advantage of our weather. <Ferris Bueller> It is so choice. </Ferris Bueller>

[LadyTevar]

Treder, right now we have a 2bedroom apt for $425/month with all utilities paid, in 'Historic East End' three blocks from the Capitol Complex and one mile exactly from the center of downtown.

As for jobs, I'm a Customer Service Rep. with the WV State Government, and Nitram is a Telesurveyor working for the CDC and WV Office of Epidemeology. He gets $10/hr... but only works two days a week. I work 42/hrs a week, so that's 2 hrs at time & half pay every week, unless I have to take a sick day, or there's a holiday, or something causes me to use Annual Leave. Then I just get paid straight-time, even if I'd worked 8 hours over.

On a good paycheck, I get over $530... of which I only get $450, if I'm lucky. WVians are 48th out of the US in per capita income, but one of the higher taxed.

Indeed, state taxes eat up 10.5 percent of the income of the average West Virginian -- the 13th largest burden in the nation, sandwiched between the far-more-prosperous states of Connecticut and New Jersey.

This means that I'm paying a 6% sales tax on everything, including food. Gas tax is up to 20c /gallon. I pay $200 property tax every year on my car. If I owned my house there would be a tax on both the land and the house. There's a tax on my phoneline, on my cable line, and a $1/week tax just to work in the great city of Charleston that even non-residents have to pay.

HOWEVER: A half-gal of milk costs $1.29, full gallon is $2. Bread from the local Heiner's Bakery is 99c/loaf. A dozen medium eggs is 89c, 1.29 for the 18count. The KRT busline will take me anywhere around Charleston for only 75c, then 25c each additional farezone. 75c plus a 10c transfer takes Nitram jobhunting to the local mall-spawl, 10miles away. A co-worker buses from 10miles away for only $1.50 a trip.

Sorry Treder, I'm not moving to California.

[Plekhanov]

So from my perspective (an from the perspective of a majority of Americans) a national healthcare system would represent increased cost and reduced benefits.

If it wasn't for the fact that the US system costs far more, $4,271 vs $1,675 (in fact it's the most expensive per capita system in the world) not less than the British system you might have a point. Infact the US system is so staggeringly inefficient that in 2000 your shitty public (ie with private expendiure not counted) health care system cost more per capita than ours ($2,202 as oposed to $1,429) yet our system provides comprehensive healthcare for the whole population yours provides nothing of the kind.

So please Crackpot enlighten me, from your "perspective" just what exactly are the "increased costs and reduced benefits" "a national healthcare system" or NHS as we like to call it would incure?

source for my figures

[Keevan_Colton]

I dont buy much milk, but as far as bread goes, the price here is about the same for a loaf...

[The Yosemite Bear]

In Yosemite the sales tax is 7.5%, and the food is much higher then in "Civilization"

[Col. Crackpot]

So please Crackpot enlighten me, from your "perspective" just what exactly are the "increased costs and reduced benefits" "a national healthcare system" or NHS as we like to call it would incure?

source for my figures

the perspective of someone whose employer foots most of the bill.

[Keevan_Colton]

So please Crackpot enlighten me, from your "perspective" just what exactly are the "increased costs and reduced benefits" "a national healthcare system" or NHS as we like to call it would incure?

source for my figures

the perspective of someone whose employer foots most of the bill.

I wonder if you realize that the massive figure thrown around for US expenditure, is for GOVERNMENT money, not private money...you're still seeing more tax dollars vanish into healthcare and not getting anything for it for most people...and then your employer is paying on top of that and you're still being hit out of pocket for part of it too...that makes it being paid for three times over, no?

Again, just what exactly are the "increased costs and reduced benefits" "a national healthcare system" or NHS as we like to call it would incure?

[Plekhanov]

So please Crackpot enlighten me, from your "perspective" just what exactly are the "increased costs and reduced benefits" "a national healthcare system" or NHS as we like to call it would incure?

the perspective of someone whose employer foots most of the bill.

Is really that supposed to be an answer to my question? It would seem my points sailed right over your head so I’ll attempt to simplify them a little.

In 2000
The US spent $4,631 (highest in the world) per capita on health care, $2,580 (highest in the world) privately and $2,051 (3rd highest in the world) publicly.

In comparison the UK spent $1,764 per capita on health care, $335 privately $1,429 publicly (that places us 16th, 21st & 16th in the world respectively).

Just to make things extra specially clear the in 2000:
The US GOVERNMENT spent $2,051 per capita on healthcare
The UK GOVERNMENT spent $1,429 per capita on healthcare.

So for $622 (or 30%) less PUBLIC per capita than spent in the US the NHS gives us comprehensive health care for the entire population, the US gov spends more PUBLIC money on your “efficient” free market, choice driven system which rather confusingly doesn’t provide comprehensive health care for the entire population.

So once again Crackpot enlighten me, from your "perspective" just what exactly are the "increased costs and reduced benefits" "a national healthcare system" or NHS as we like to call it would incure?

[CelesKnight]

I have three questions for the non-US posters.

1) What benefits does the typical minimum wage worker get? Do they get paid vacation or employer or goverment paid healthcare?

2) What would the typical minimum wage worker pay in taxes?

3) What percentage of the populous actually makes low wages?


In the US:

1) Low-wage US workers often don't get either.

2) A full-time minimum wage worker in the US (10k to 11k a year) would pay roughly $250 in Federal in income tax, perhaps another $125 in state taxes (varies from state to state), and often a single digit sales tax (in my area, food and clothing are tax free while other items are at 7%).

3) I've heard that 1/3rd of the US population is making less than $8 an hour, but I'm not certain if that's acurate or not.


Thanks!

[TrailerParkJawa]

Sorry Treder, I'm not moving to California.

You have to pay property tax on a car? WTF ? Thats BS. Or is this a registration fee? My civic costs about 77 dollars a year and my subaru is around 200 or so.

I know you are moving here, but if you ever thought about it I recommend you come out and look around first. I live in the same county now as Treder. Its expensive. Yesterday, I tanked up and 87 regular was 2.61 a gallon. It doesn't phase me cause I have a 6 mile round trip commute, but people making low wages with 30 mile 1 way commutes are feeling the pinch.

[Jaepheth]

...There is obviously something else at work in the US which exaggerates the gap...

Many of my fellow Americans are sadly unable to distinguish between what they want and what they need.

[The Third Man]

I have three questions for the non-US posters.

1) What benefits does the typical minimum wage worker get? Do they get paid vacation or employer or goverment paid healthcare?

UK figures

Assuming he/she works full time and has been in the job long enough to accrue holidays, typically 20 paid leave days per year. Healthcare is a little difficult. Basic and emergency healthcare is state-provided. Dentistry and opticians is more complicated - some get this free, some don't. Other state benefits can come into play - "tax credits" for example, for things like single parents with children, depends on personal circumstances.

2) What would the typical minimum wage worker pay in taxes?

If we assume a 40 hour week and a minimum wage of £4.85, no tax breaks for special personal circumstances, I calculate an annual tax (PAYE & NI) burden of £1462 on a £10088 gross annual income. About 14.5% of gross. Each week that would be £165 for you, £28 for the government - in dollars/week that's about $315 for you, $53 for the gov't. See below for other indirect taxes.

3) What percentage of the populous actually makes low wages?

Don't have these figures to hand at the moment.

Other stuff:

Standard sales tax (we call it VAT) is 17.5%. "basic items" such as non-luxury food, childrens clothes are zero-rated. Fuel for domestic heating and power gets (IIRC) 8%

LadyTevar, here are some comparison grocery prices for you. They come from the Asda web site, I think this would be the UK equivalent of Walmart (at least, SpAsda is owned by Walmart)
Loaf of bread (Warburtons white thin-sliced 800g, the UKs "standard" bread): £0.70 / $1.33
Gallon of milk (converted from litre cost, Imperial gallon!): £2.17 / $4.13
Dozen eggs (the cheapest battery-farmed variety. medium size): £1.02 / $1.94

Accomodation: Very difficult to say given silly state of house prices. You might rent a basic two-bedroom house in a non-London location for £350 or $667 per month. All bills would be on top of this (light, power, heat, council tax)

Other stuff:

In the UK, we must pay an annual "road tax fund" for our cars, dependent on engine capacity. This might be £200 or $381 per year. We also pay a huge price for fuel (see that other thread), then we have insurance and a compulsory roadworthiness test each year (for cars >=3 years old) costs around $50

There's also "council tax" a local govt tax for all homeowners or renters. Depends on property value and location etc, but a typical low-end figure would be £900 or $1700 per year. (This might attract a "benefit" reduction for a very low income, personal circmstances etc)

[Dahak]

I have three questions for the non-US posters.

1) What benefits does the typical minimum wage worker get? Do they get paid vacation or employer or goverment paid healthcare?

2) What would the typical minimum wage worker pay in taxes?

3) What percentage of the populous actually makes low wages?

Germany doesn't have a minimum wage, but there is a debate to introduce one.

As for 1), assuming you have a normal, full-time job, you get 30 days of holidays. Health care is a moot point, as you can't get a job (or be legally employed) without a health insurance. So you have access to full health care.
2) depends on how much he would earn. Progressive income tax and all that... But typically, a normal worker gets 30-50% (an estimate) of his income taken, either for taxes, health insurance, unemployment insurance, pension insurance, nursing care insurance... THen there's also a 16% VAT.

[Keevan_Colton]

Third, you're getting done on prices, a loaf here will cost me around 40p...

[The Third Man]

Third, you're getting done on prices, a loaf here will cost me around 40p...

Bugger me, so I am! That's what comes of insisting on Warburtons I suppose. I'm fussy about my bread. Consider 40p substituted in to the above. Not to imply anything about your no doubt impeccable tastes, but I'm guessing that's a pretty no-frills loaf we're talking about?

[Keevan_Colton]

Third, you're getting done on prices, a loaf here will cost me around 40p...

Bugger me, so I am! That's what comes of insisting on Warburtons I suppose. I'm fussy about my bread. Consider 40p substituted in to the above. Not to imply anything about your no doubt impeccable tastes, but I'm guessing that's a pretty no-frills loaf we're talking about?

I can get an own brand in Tesco, Costcutter, Co-Op or Morrissons for that...thick, medium or thin sliced and wholemeal or white

[Crayz9000]

CA has a minimum wage law set at $7.25/hr

That's Oregon, not California...

[The Yosemite Bear]

grr.

so I need to look at those poster's closer

either that or the shortest wage my company pays is for once ahaed of minimum wage...

[Crayz9000]

Sorry Treder, I'm not moving to California.

You have to pay property tax on a car? WTF ? Thats BS. Or is this a registration fee? My civic costs about 77 dollars a year and my subaru is around 200 or so.

I think she's talking about the monthly payment on a car. For someone getting shit wages, car payments are killer. Best to buy a used car of a model that you know will be reliable (in other words, nothing like a 1992 or so Ford Taurus even if it's dirt cheap).

[LadyTevar]

Sorry Treder, I'm not moving to California.

You have to pay property tax on a car? WTF ? Thats BS. Or is this a registration fee? My civic costs about 77 dollars a year and my subaru is around 200 or so.

I think she's talking about the monthly payment on a car. For someone getting shit wages, car payments are killer. Best to buy a used car of a model that you know will be reliable (in other words, nothing like a 1992 or so Ford Taurus even if it's dirt cheap).

No... I am talking a once-a-year, county-based $200 property tax on the car, based on BlueBook value. The car payment is $350/month.