Because I like data, here are my federal tax rates from 2015-2023. Taxable income and federal tax amounts are not shown due to privacy, but are shown in relative values on the graph.
The 2017 Trump law ended up being a tax hike for us, because we had previously itemized deductions that were either eliminated or reduced in 2018. The COVID child tax credits in 2020 temporarily lowered our taxes to their lowest point, but went up to their highest the next year. The Biden/Harris child care tax expansion in 2021 lowered our taxes back down to what they were before the 2017 tax law.
I have no problem with being taxed 40+% and then don’t have to worry about being ruined by a trip in an ambulance, especially the older I get.
In Belgium, it’s above 60% if you take into account RSZ (mandated health insurance).