For all you taxpayers out there who are planning to spend this weekend slaving over a last-minute return, and for all you business leaders fretting over President Obama’s corporate tax plans, here’s some cold comfort: It could be worse … and in many countries, it is.

Forbes has released its annual Tax Misery and Reform Index, which assembles data on the top rates for corporate and personal income tax, wealth tax, social security taxes, and VAT/sales taxes in more than 60 countries.

The United States is by no means a high-tax-misery country. With a misery score of 85.3, the U.S. ranks way down the list at 48th, well below several countries with famously mild corporate tax regimes, such as Luxembourg (ranked 27th) and Ireland (40th). Higher rates for personal income and social security in these nations more than offset their relatively low corporate income tax rates.

Still, there’s definitely cause for concern in the U.S. corporate income rate, at 35 percent, which is topped only by Japan (41 percent) and — surprise! — India (42 percent). And, of course, there’s state tax on top of that; if you’re foolish enough to operate a business in New York City, you’ll pay a combined maximum rate of 46.2 percent.

But before we get too irate about U.S. business taxes, let’s not forget the employer social security tax, a relatively benign 7.7 percent in the United States. Companies in Mexico can pay close to 39 percent, and in the Ukraine it’s a whopping 50 percent.

In unenviable first place atop the Misery List is France, which combines a corporate income tax similar to that of the United States with a 45 percent employer social security tax and high rates in just about every other category.

I’m reminded of the time a couple of years ago when a major British newspaper ran a competition to find a suitable national motto for the country. The best my sardonic compatriots could come up with was a bunch of quips like “Americans Who Missed the Boat” and “At Least We’re Not French.”

I’ll think about that as I work on my income taxes this weekend. At least we’re not France.

At least not yet. ###