Money & WorkMental model
A pay rise cannot leave you with less in your pocket.
The marginal tax rate applies only to the next euro you earn, not to your whole income. A bracket system taxes each slice of income at its own rate. The average rate you actually pay therefore always sits below the marginal rate.
Useful: Anyone saying "working more is pointless, I'd move into a higher bracket" is confusing marginal with average.
Source: de.wikipedia.org