flightbooking
I can put you 100 cases of pilots paying even more than 40% taxes. For example in Romania local TRI can made with the old Scheme 11/12k gross and I saw their salary. Net 7k. I saw with my own eyes.
and that was with the old scheme.
CONFAIR floaters or non floaters Captains doing things properly they pay a small amount of taxes in Switzerland, the rest till even more than 40% in their Western Europe countries.
of course if you want to “play” as a contractor with taxes that is another history... but if you do it properly is what it is