Its possible the Brits would be a little less pissed off by the whole EU thing if they realized that there are over 2 million ex-pat Brits living in EU countries (like myself). An actual Brit exit might mean 2 million Brits all being forced to return to the UK and putting even more pressure on the welfare state, because we can no longer enjoy the freedom of living where we want to in Europe.
But that's getting a bit off the topic of this thread, is it not?
As fort tax and as an ex-pat resident of Spain, I pay the self-employed rate plus a mandatory NI contribution, which is steep but manageable. Forming a company is an option I looked at but the tax advantage is not really all that much when offset against the extra hassle and bureaucracy that's involved.
I have friends in this business who moved to Malta a year ago and they like the low taxes, but are already bored to death because the place is pretty dull, very small and not much to do once you've visited all the bars and restaurants and run out of new places to go!
I think I'll stay where I am for as long as I can unless I'm forced to leave if the UK does exit the EU. I like the warm weather, the sunshine and the beach as well as the infinitely better way of life here (than the UK's abundant rain, cold, misery, rain, cold, misery, rain, cold, misery...)
Why wouldnt you live in Malta m8
That's a nice opinion and pretty similar to what I've heard from most of my friends back in the UK (who think they know better). Homework and whether I've done it or not is a bit condescending by the way. But when you live in another country you get to know how their political minds work better than being outside and looking in from afar.
You can't expect Spanish politicians to be sympathetic to British laws and regulations - they don't. And I doubt many other EU countries would either if the UK did leave.
For my part, I would no longer enjoy the status of being a European citizen, free to travel between, live and work in any EU country that I choose. I could still travel and live here, but I would not get the same privileges as EU citizens. The tax I pay, the rates on my home and community fees I have to pay will change to higher rates as it is for non-EU residents. You wouldn't know that of course because you're not here.
A UK exit from the EU is not a good thing for Britain or the EU, no matter what political propaganda you hear or happen to believe in. And there's plenty of it going the rounds trying to stir up people's emotions over immigration and asylum seekers as an excuse to get out. But there's a much bigger picture than that if you have the eyes to see it.
What Brexit boils down to is a nail in the coffin of freedom, mate.
it aint British law, it's EU law/international law. you are exempt, they can not just kick you out like you made out. future free movement for others isn't then possible but you are allowed to stay. check out the Vienna convention of 1969
last week i travelled through from prague to stockholm then onto luxembourg, using the beauty of the schengen agreement, which if the eu had it's way would be pushed onto everyone. WOW, probably the most dangerous things I have ever saw. Not once was I checked or had to show my passport, that's ridiculous, most unsecure and dangerous thing i've seen.
nail in the coffin for freedom? Canary Islands aint in the EU, New Zealand aint in the EU, Australia aint in the EU, America aint in the EU, Singapore ain't in the EU, West Indies aint in the EU and I've travelled to all them place freely and be allowed in. And I know you'll say I was on holiday but each of them I listed I also know Brits that have gone to live in each of those places and are living there permanently.
RacingJim (10 March 2016)
Interesting discussion. I think you are going to be fine Brodog, but I understand why you don't trust these eu countries - you have something in common there with the leave supporters.
I do not like risks, so I combined dodgy offshore + tax heaven as residence.
Even when I see from 3rd world all the benefits of the social securities in rich countries, I simply value my own money more than paying welfare states that keep alive many lazy and also unlucky people and also all politicians. Nothing is black and white, I do not say all people are lazy and they do not deserve support etc. But I really see no point why corporations should be able to avoid taxes and normal business has to pay. Still I pay a lot of taxes like VAT etc.
I rather give opportunities to real people, no one of my employees has university, most of them not even high school. All lived at the edge of society. Yet, if they continue work hard, they get amazing salary. But most of the poor people, who said they want to live better life, were not able to work hard, so I fired them off. Should I feed them from taxes then when I obviously have a freedom of choice where to live and pay taxes? My choice is simply no. If I had to pay all the taxes that keeps the western society alive, I am saying clearly I would rather sit on benefits at home, work on my body and **** girls, which is something I have done before I started to work. But that is only less shittier life too and nothing I want to remember at deathbed.
I really do not like the way society "works" now and I see no point why I should participate to keep it alive. I rather build my own small society between borders. For 99.99 ... 99% I will fail, but at least the life has some energy and hope. No society can be build as black hole for money, it is the trust what creates the society. But there is zero trust withing national states, therefore for me it is pointless to participate on that nonsense, because something new will emerge.
I think big changes are coming.
The costs of tax evasion - despite of all the efforts - are lower every year. The taxes are higher. The paperwork around taxes is even more crazy every year.
Bitcoin is here solely for purpose of grey economy. Untaxed robots/machines are more and more competing taxed human labor. Creating an offshore structure is something for few clicks and few thousands of costs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpet...er#Flag_theory is harder to achieve, but still easier than the paperwork.
Of course every politician will tell how they will fight tax evasion, but the corporations that finance them do the tax evasion and the politicians still have money hidden etc, so in fact they always do not want to fight that hard. That is the real life and one has the only choice: to live in the dream or to open the eyes. The taxes must be lowered and reformed, but it will not happen before the current system will crush and before this happens, it will try to squeeze everything from the small amount of people that still do some productive work. Life was always a battle and it did not change even when society and politicians want you to listen to the nice fairy tales and pay for them with your taxes.
If you talk to God, you are praying; If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
justbookies (10 March 2016), RacingJim (11 March 2016), Triple7 (11 March 2016)
in the Uk taxes are really far too high. We need lower rates and larger personal allowances.