a tax too far?

[expat]

The hysteria over punitive taxation in Britain has aven reached the Times, which is polling readers to see if they plane to leave the UK because of high taxes. This keeps coming up here, so I'd like to ask for views: is anyone thinking of leaving the UK for somewhere civilised, because tax is a lot lower there?

So where would that be then? OK we know of far-flung places with expat compounds; gin-in-the-sun places where you can burn easily and eat and drink cheaply but not do much else; and a few microstates like Andorra, which however are not much interested in people like us who may make a decent working income but don't have real money. Apart from that, all I can think of is Switzerland, which is at least seriously on the low side of normal (but far from tax-free).

Is there anywhere with very low tax, that you would like to live in anyway were it not for the tax?

[PM-Junkie]

Not personally at this moment because of family ties...but I know of three people without such ties who are actively planning to up sticks. And those are just the people I know about. One has his own business and employs seven people, one is a doctor and the other is one of them there scummy low-life bloodsucking IT contractor thingies

The crucial point people are missing is the psychological message that 50% tax has...because at that level the government is taking at least half of everything you earn from that point on. It perhaps wouldn't be so bad if they were spending it on something worthwhile...but wars, ID cards and public sector pensions isn't my idea of "something worthwhile".

[Board Game Geek]

PM Junkie wrote : scummy low-life bloodsucking IT contractor thingies

recruitment agent

[swamp]

The crucial point people are missing is the psychological message that 50% tax has...because at that level the government is taking at least half of everything you earn from that point on. It perhaps wouldn't be so bad if they were spending it on something worthwhile...but wars, ID cards and public sector pensions isn't my idea of "something worthwhile".

ID cards will provide enormous work opportunities for contractors. Bring it on I say.

[Gonzo]

I am not, because I have already gone. But that wasn't for tax reasons.

I think it is all a bit of hot hair really. Anyone who works and is mobile would already have gone to a lower tax environment if paying tax bothered them so much.

I don't think that putting the top rate of tax up from 40 to 50 per cent will be the straw that breaks any camels backs.

But in the longer term it will make the UK a less attractive place for anyone to base themselves and that will be the death of the City of London as we know it.

[HairyArsedBloke]

I am not, because I have already gone.

Me too.

Only back in the UK for medical treatment (finished, I hope) and some legal stuff. After that I'm gone.

[AtW]

This tax increase is not big enough to make lots of people leave however it's big enough to restructure earnings and avoid it.

[expat]

Is there anywhere with very low tax, that you would like to live in anyway were it not for the tax?

Original question still stands.

[PM-Junkie]

Original question still stands.

Wife's buddy (the doctor) is off to the USA (Montana - apparently it's nice there?), the other two are off to Canada - not sure where though.

[shoes]

For me this budget has provided an incentive to leave the uk because of how apparent it now is just how much doo-doo this place is in. And their solution? Borrow, quantitive easing, Ludricous predictions about an upturn. These clowns couldn't find their 4rses with both hands.

The uk is plainly going to do nothing but get worse over the next 10+ years, it is not a place I am keen to stay in or raise a family in or fight off ever desperate chavs in.

Everywhere will become a dump, public services will face cuts, taxes will rise further, chavs will breed even more than they are doing already due to their being even fewer options than even now.

The 50% thing has little to do with it, it's just another relatively minor symptom of an enormous problem ; Labour being in power. Their 10 years will take another 10+ years to repair, Im not keen to be here for it, life is too short.


Where is there to go?