Ideas for moving abroad please !

[LDC134]

Hi, I am considering moving abroad, am early 40's and well travelled but I am fed up living in England with high taxes and thieving politicians. I would be interested in anyones ideas on where to live abroad, especially because I get the impression some of you already live abroad, so would be interested in the benefits and negatives, for where you live. I don't have any transferable skills so Australia is likely to be out of the question, I think.

[mollykins]

Malta . . .

[Sqad]

McMouse...true....for a couple of years, the pound and the euro was almost parity and the exPars with their pensions paid in pounds had a difficult time, but things have improved over the past couple of years............just ;-)

[sandyRoe]

I would like to be a remittance man in somewhere like Thailand. But there's nobody to send the remittance.

[Dris]

Have to say things seem to have perked up just recently in Spain -we are almost back to getting good value for money but the employment situation remains quite dire and we would both like to work to a degree -a lesser degree really-that was the plan anyway...

[Sqad]

red.....I understand that.....it was your comment on the Health care that I was commenting upon.

[mollykins]

geezer, Wales and Scotland are beautiful except for the weather . . .

I think it's somewhere like Norway/Finland/sweden where the standard tax rate is about 80/90% !!!!!!

[Hazel104]

Belgium do not having thieving politicians :-)

[boxtops]

Having just come back from Spain, the unemployment is 20%, much higher than here, and younger people are moving to Germany to find work. I suspect that although so many people gripe about the UK, when you up and go, you find that the green grass on the other side is just different grass. I have friends in Canada who are happy, and friends in Australia who say that the cost of living is much more over there. My friends in Spain are really happy with the speed and efficiency of the Spanish health service.

[Old_Geezer]

There's the rub, where can you go and feel better off ? Best buy your own independent island and make your own rules.

BTW I'd prefer direct taxation to be higher as long as the indirect take was reduced in proportion. Direct tends to be more closely based on what one has got out of society, and so is more equitable.

[Sqad]

molly et al....standard rate of tax is not important..........the important factor is at what level it comes in at.

e.g A standard rate of taxation of 90% is fabulous if it came in at 60,000 pounds.

[boxtops]

I'd go for that one, sqad!

[Sqad]

boxtops is right....unemployment in Spain is high.......jobs difficult to get.

[sandyRoe]

I believe you could live like a lord in Afghanistan for about 50/- a week.

[what..the?]

Australia has a brilliant quality of life, clean air, longer days, better jobs, good education, the full works.

New Zealand's the same with added benefit it's generally even cheaper than Australia so your money goes further.

American's love the english...which is always a plus, and the cost of living and fuel is of course much better than the UK

[LoftyLottie]

I used to think I would like to retire to Spain or Portugal but have totally changed my mind now that I have reached retirement age.

I know there are things in both countries that I can't live with. My best friend moved to Spain on retiring and I have spent some time out there with her. It totally changed my mind about wanting to be there myself.


Living in a country is so totally different to holidaying there.


(With no disrespect to Sqad) (One of things things I can't stand is the attitude towards dogs and cats and the amount of half starved strays on the streets. It might seem a silly little reason, but it is very real)

[Sqad]

Lofty....are you saying that the UK is a country of animal lovers????

[boxtops]

interesting what..the, on the TV the other day people were comparing the price of the weekly shop, and water rates etc., and it was coming out much higher in Australia.

[237SJ]

Forget Europe, go to Barbados. At least it`s warm all year round.