"The creek is one of those creatures you love and it loves you back, but every so often it takes a bite out of you, " says Mr. Maida.

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Paying for insurance, however, takes a bite out of those profits.

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But exempting sports programming takes much of the bite out of the rule change.

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At the end of the day, what matters is how much of a bite government takes out of the overall economy and when.

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As for state and local tax , the Big Apple takes the biggest bite out of its Powerball winners.

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Germany is not heavily taxed compared with other European countries (see chart), but it takes a bigger bite out of pay than most, a burden borne disproportionately by those on modest salaries.

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Health-care costs also include payments to cover deductibles (the amount you pay for treatment before the insurance kicks in) and co-payments to doctors and hospitals--meaning that the overall health bill takes an even bigger bite out of household income.

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