Expense Lens

Introducing @AstrioAI. An AI agent that modernizes outdated websites from WordPress, vanilla JS, PHP, and more. Import from anywhere and transform old designs and tech stacks into modern, editable websites. Modernize your website in one shot.

Germans: "Germany is a low-tax country". "It's only high tax for labour; BE AN OWNER". Was surprised by the backlash from Germans when I asked on LinkedIn about the appeal of living and working in Germany in 2026. It gave me a glimpse into what @levelsio often mentions when arguing that the biggest issues in EU are due to Germany's influence. Basically: a kind of perverse way of thinking that wants to be blind to the negatives of bureaucracy, and just lacks common sense. This seems to be rooted in arrogance for "how things work in Germany" - "the best country!!". Now, the nonsense I am actually referring to: 1. "Germany is low tax - just be an owner" CIT ~15% (not the best, also not the worst) Super high income taxes and (mid/low ROI) social security contributions, easily over 40% for high earners. 25%+ capital gains. 26% dividend tax. What is low tax about this? And how is it fixed by "being an owner"? Also: everyone earns income and pays dividends, also owners. Also: how disrespectful, elitist and weird way of thinking is to plainly neglect the right to fair taxation to people working jobs (majority of population, including business owners)? 2. The ridiculousness of becoming a bureaucracy's slave as the only path to lower taxes (also, spoiler: it won't become low tax anyway...) So, apparently, the "genius tax hack" of Germans is: - Invest most of your income into German real estate - Leverage your investment paying interests to German banks - Access one of the lowest rental yield and lowest appreciating housing markets in Europe - Your core expertise is in tech, media, finance? It doesn't matter: you need to start mastering German real estate and bureaucracy! - Liquidity? Worthless. Hold the real estate for AT LEAST 10 YEARS, as the only way to avoid insane capital gains taxes. Don't forget the mindset shift: ❌ high bureaucracy ✅ "tons of hacks" 3. "OK, if you want money... Just build a unicorn" Look: if you don't have money and want some, why don't you peak the highest risk, lowest ROI wealth path out there, and grind 10 of your best years to build something that has almost 0 chance to succeed and even if it does is more likely to make someone else wealthy rather EU? Also: don't forget to do it in the worst continent in the world for VC-backed startups. To most people coming from lower/middle class, it's much better having decent chances of getting to 1-10M than having almost no chance of getting to 1B. VC-backed startups are for rich kids and/or brainwashed/passionate kids who don't care about $. 4. The sad truth Is that Germany, as most other countries in Western Europe, is a place ruled by "old money", that gives very little opportunity to young people wanting to build something for themselves. Thing is: majority of people are not rich. And these people don't benefit from operating in a system like Germany. The only ones who benefit are: 3rd worlders and old money. This sad truth makes Germans look even weirder when they try to mask their system and society into moral high grounds' wrapping. Cut the bs. 5. The alternatives Poland is a way better place to build wealth, much more fair, with way less rich old fucks getting in the way of people building from scratch. Everyone is a hustler. Even boomers. Ukraine would've been even better, if it wasn't for Russia and Belarus. UAE and the pace they've attracted capital with (both old and new) is a testament to what works and what doesn't. Even the rotten US does much better than Germany. Paraguay and other Southern Cone alternatives offer a more "wild west" alternative that can be great for those leveraging the internet building online. Cyprus is another EU country offering a top alternative. Switzerland is way more fair and worthwhile than Germany, even if your goal is to build a billion dollar startup. --- Stop German cope.

We just open-sourced Mission Control — our dashboard for AI agent orchestration. 26 panels. Real-time WebSocket + SSE. SQLite — no external services needed. Kanban board, cost tracking, role-based access, quality gates, and multi-gateway support. One pnpm start, and you're running. github.com/builderz-labs/…