Fifty above - I think you will find that most of the guys who you are referring to as "they'll all be squealing about having to pay tax" are all tax liable today and they have all been tax liable since the "main land" bases opened. This is EU, remember? There is no such thing as "tax free" if employed and living in EU. There is however a difference of WHERE you are liable depending on where you live, are registered etc etc. Once again, depends very much on each individuals situation. Most, not all, would be very happy to have a local contract, and as you say "pay tax" (I assume you mean German contract with German taxes?), as long as the setup would be similar to the Italian, Spanish and French contracts, with a twist to fit local regulations of course.
Do not be so fast to judge people and their situation at different bases etc when it comes to pay and tax. Most of our colleagues just want to get on with the job and get a "reasonable" pay check for the job done. Problem now is that LTN is well aware that the contract and tax situation in SXF is not viable in the long run, but they have chosen to use the "head in the sand" approach to the problem until forced (by the authorities) to deal with it.
This is, for the time being, the most cost effective way to deal with it and leaves the employee with all the legal hassle of sorting out not only tax liability but also issues concerning insurance (to, from and at work) and health insurance.
od