A certain amount of our taxes go to social security to be handed out as unemployment benefits, old age pensions etc. But I don't trust the goverment, or our economy, to have the money to hand out to me when I'm over 65, so I'm doing some good and bad
http://moneycentral.msn.com/scripts/webquote.dll?iPage=qd&Symbol=lthu investments of my own so I've got plenty of money to spend on petrol and good wine when I'm an old fool.
But in answer to you question, yup, it's about the same system as you guys and the UK.