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Originally Posted by Coatsy
I consider myself very lucky, not just in respect to what you posted above but also because I'm from Northern Ireland I'm entitled to duel citizenship (Ireland & Britain) Who would have thought coming from an area of conflict could have had such benifits in the end  |
Even better!!!
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Originally Posted by Coatsy
I think the law states that if i live outside the UK for 9 months or more each year then I'm not liable to pay income tax to the UK, please correct me if I'm wrong Webby. I'm sure you know the exact details  |
Mmm.. thinking... it's worth checking to get the exact wording - but goes something like this.. At the start you need to be out of the country for.. think just over a year, but after that there is a sliding scale and it does mean you can end up in Belfast X months a year without incurring UK taxation. You are effectively treated as an expat.
I've been out for a while now and lived in the Caribbean mainly and Latin America. Some Caribbean islands are particularly good to live in - St Maartin is one, - no taxes and regular international flights to North America and Europe (and not a bit of bullshit in sight - unless you watch TV
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Costa Rica and Panama are much the same - nobody bothers you and no taxation. (You don't even get any tax paperwork to fill in). You can do as you want - within the usual reasonable guidelines.
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Originally Posted by Coatsy
I'd love to get up and leave a.s.a.p but I'm trying to get onto the property ladder in Belfast this year. I still want to live in Belfast at least during the summer months, home is where the heart is Well.... Until you experience somewhere better ! |
Know the feeling
One clue - and it's something I thought would be a problem in that you may want to get back "home". A few times, especially when I first left, I asked a few people when they were thinking of going back home. Not one had any plans to go back home - it was too good where they were and the common question back was - "What would I want to go back to the UK for??"
We have several projects going here at the moment and.. not sure exactly, but there are around 30 families from the UK moving permanently to Costa Rica soon. All of them have been here and seen the land/development and are in the process of "selling up" their homes and businesses.
So.. build your property scenario and spend some time experiencing the "other side" - that will give a good clue as to what you may want to do in the end
