Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Interesting thread.
If I was going to move anywhere I would move to New Zealand. Lots of tourists, particularly in the Sth Island, might get annoying, but in a pandemic, not so much. That aside, it is a beautiful country.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vertical_doug
(clue: it all is tied to the toxic drinking culture.)
Or any football stadium on game day?
(I think I'm getting the hang of it...)
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BBB
Interesting thread.
If I was going to move anywhere I would move to New Zealand. Lots of tourists, particularly in the Sth Island, might get annoying, but in a pandemic, not so much. That aside, it is a beautiful country.
Earthquake offshore and tsunami warnings today/tomorrow evidently.
Do they even let Australians move to New Zealand?
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
j44ke
Earthquake offshore and tsunami warnings today/tomorrow evidently.
Do they even let Australians move to New Zealand?
Yes!
Of course you do get a bit of sh*t as an Aussie in New Zealand and taxi drivers insist on talking about rugby, which is honestly a foreign language to most Australians (the sensible Australians at least), but other than that it is all good.
Australians and New Zealanders can travel between the two countries freely (though not so much at the moment with the pandemic) and while you need a passport to get in (but they don't stamp it) you can stay in either country as long as you like.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BBB
Yes!
Of course you do get a bit of sh*t as an Aussie in New Zealand and taxi drivers insist on talking about rugby, which is honestly a foreign language to most Australians (the sensible Australians at least), but other than that it is all good.
Australians and New Zealanders can travel between the two countries freely (though not so much at the moment with the pandemic) and while you need a passport to get in (but they don't stamp it) you can stay in either country as long as you like.
Excellent! I thought maybe they'd keep you lot out to protect all their flightless birds. :-)
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
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Originally Posted by
Chik
I lived in the US for over a decade but can't agree with that sentiment. The point is that it's not a universal sentiment so we shouldn't presume that Martin will reach the same conclusion as you did. That is not at all saying that your conclusion is invalid, just that it was yours, based on your particular experience and outlook, and was valid for you but not necessarily for others.
BTW, consumer rights in the EU are far superior to those in the US. Perhaps your seller was less accommodating, but that's not a reflection of the regulatory framework. Yes, it's often a negotiation when perhaps it shouldn't be, but throwing around words like "rights" and "law" won't get you very far in many countries other than the US. Actually, it's likely to be counterproductive.
I agree somewhat with both of you here. The "intent" is certainly in the regulatory framework in Europe, but after 14 years I'm still amazed at how much work is done "under the table" as we say. The lengths people go to avoid taxes and regulation is amazing, though it bites them in the *ss every time something goes wrong and a warranty is needed. I'm of course not referring to govt corruption... Just cash in hand to avoid VAT, etc.
Maybe it has changed in the States the last 15 years, but I just don't recall tax avoidance on a local, non-corporate level being so widespread over there.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
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Originally Posted by
JSL
I agree somewhat with both of you here. The "intent" is certainly in the regulatory framework in Europe, but after 14 years I'm still amazed at how much work is done "under the table" as we say. The lengths people go to avoid taxes and regulation is amazing, though it bites them in the *ss every time something goes wrong and a warranty is needed. I'm of course not referring to govt corruption... Just cash in hand to avoid VAT, etc.
Maybe it has changed in the States the last 15 years, but I just don't recall tax avoidance on a local, non-corporate level being so widespread over there.
If a transaction is done off the till, then it's outside of the framework. No free lunch. I think that's a universal concept.
As for the US, I'd like to see what happens if the sales tax were raised to 20%.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chik
If a transaction is done off the till, then it's outside of the framework. No free lunch. I think that's a universal concept.
As for the US, I'd like to see what happens if the sales tax were raised to 20%.
Well, seeing how VAT is an extremely regressive tax regime and the great lengths the wealthy go in Europe to hide wealth via off-shore structures, European Tax avoidance is a completely rational behavior..
You can just look at the Cum-Ex scandal in financial markets as a small indication.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CumEx-Files
Thread drift warning: That's why Elizabeth Warren speaking of a wealth tax is a complete non-starter. They always talk about nominal rates etc, but reality is the lobbyists will get a hold of the bill and after making loopholes, you will get a much reduced effective rate which no one discusses. It is the same dodge used by the Trump Tax cut. The discussion was on a nominal rates, but taking in deductions added, effective rate cut for the wealth was much larger.
Additional thread drift warning: As long as I mentioned Trump, even though I dislike the person, his administration attempt to rush through KYC requirements for cryptocurrencies is a good thing. It is unthinkable you do not know the ultimate UBO of a financial asset. This asset has two functions right now- speculation and money-laundering. The only way to combat money laundering is to proper KYC. You can not just be a wallet. However, since this wrecks the speculation gravey train, the vested interests (Coinbase, Union Sq Partners, Winklevoss, etc) are all lobbying heavily against this because if you can make a buck, you feign ignorance and become complicit. This is the fundamental issue with tax and finance which links it all together.
In a nutshell, I often think the ability to rationalize and turn a blind eye to make a buck is the source of all our global problems.
End of Thread Drift and rant.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chik
Your fondness for "rights" has been noted, twice.
Again, what I was reacting to is you positing that the US have it better than anywhere else, which necessarily assumes that everyone -- or every American including those that are contemplating leaving the US or have permanently settled in another country -- shares the same set of values and priorities as you. Perhaps that's not what you actually meant, but it seemed like it. That is all.
Point 1- I'm not sure what you're talking about a fondness for "rights." OP is saying he feels oppressed in the US, and wishes to move. Oppression comes from a lack of rights and equality, or actionable processes to support them. It has nothing to do with my opinion of rights or not.
You seem to be insinuating something, but I'm not sure what. I spoke the language fluently to where people couldn't tell I wasn't from there, but sometimes thought I was from a different region of the country. Spouse and family are from/live there. I never had any issues with being American or anything else. My points are based on real life experiences.
For example, my sister in law recently received a speeding ticket in the mail. From a location aprx 500km from where she lives. She wasn't even there, and can demonstrate without any doubt she was not in said location at the time of the ticket (an automated system based on radar overhangs, fairly common in EU). It was a glitch in the system. Guess what? She has no recourses, and exhausted the process- verdict: pay the ticket or lose your license and incur further fines. So, she paid it. For Americans that is almost unfathomable. I could give many examples, but you get the point.
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Point 2- Please read before assuming and making up tales. I never said anything remotely close to "the US has it better than anyone else." That is completely and totally incorrect. Re-read my post. I said, "Americans don't know how good they have it," specifically with regards to the points I made about efficiency, etc. The grass is always greener as they say.
Had you actually read my post, you would have also seen that I also included the positives. Again, I was specifically referencing doug's post about the process, and what most American expats find difficult to swallow.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sino
Point 1- I'm not sure what you're talking about a fondness for "rights." OP is saying he feels oppressed in the US, and wishes to move. Oppression comes from a lack of rights and equality, or actionable processes to support them. It has nothing to do with my opinion of rights or not.
You seem to be insinuating something, but I'm not sure what. I spoke the language fluently to where people couldn't tell I wasn't from there, but sometimes thought I was from a different region of the country. Spouse and family are from/live there. I never had any issues with being American or anything else. My points are based on real life experiences.
For example, my sister in law recently received a speeding ticket in the mail. From a location aprx 500km from where she lives. She wasn't even there, and can demonstrate without any doubt she was not in said location at the time of the ticket (an automated system based on radar overhangs, fairly common in EU). It was a glitch in the system. Guess what? She has no recourses, and exhausted the process- verdict: pay the ticket or lose your license and incur further fines. So, she paid it. For Americans that is almost unfathomable. I could give many examples, but you get the point.
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Point 2- Please read before assuming and making up tales. I never said anything remotely close to "the US has it better than anyone else." That is completely and totally incorrect. Re-read my post. I said, "Americans don't know how good they have it," specifically with regards to the points I made about efficiency, etc. The grass is always greener as they say.
Had you actually read my post, you would have also seen that I also included the positives. Again, I was specifically referencing doug's post about the process, and what most American expats find difficult to swallow.
I'm not insinuating anything. I can't stop you from reading into what I said, but there's nothing below the surface. Whatever you read down there, they're not my words.
I suspect you're right that I don't understand what you're saying. However, since this is about neither you nor me, it's probably not vital.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Or, if the OP needs a bit of space, this place down in the DR might work:
Nice work-out room, and a wood shop too. Given the terrain, 12.5 acres are probably enough to add an MTB trail.
Personally, I think the V-Salon should buy it and turn it into a timeshare for Salonistas.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/r...smid=url-share
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021...isable=upscale
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021...isable=upscale
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021...isable=upscale
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
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Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
When I lived in Mexico, my preferences were a little primitive, a lot simpler and less.
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
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Originally Posted by
j44ke
A tower! Imagine the conniptions your local municipality would have if towers made a comeback in pursuit of suburban one-upmanship (or is its one-uppeopleship these days)?
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
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Originally Posted by
GrantM
A lot must have changed since then. There is so much foreign owned real estate, now it's practically illegal for
Canadians to own property in BC.
Joking aside, until last year, you simply put the ownership of the land into a corporation, or trust, and there was no way
for the government to know who owned it.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real...y-real-estate/
-g
Expropriation is the taking of land, at fmv, for public purposes - roads, highways, etc....
Property gets expropriated for all kinds of infrastructure reasons and tht time frame would have been during the highway building boom in BC .
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BBB
one-upmanship (or is its one-uppeopleship these days)?
Thread drift warning: Been following the MinterEllison saga, I take it?
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
cue a member of my family, up on that tower, shouting insults in a bad French accent ...
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Sort of related to this topic... this is a very interesting site showing the lifestyles people live around the world at different income levels, adjusted for US buying power. Best viewed on a large screen.
https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street
Re: Any American Ex-Pats here? We are heavily considering...
Okay, Jorn, I kind of get it now. The house you built has a tower, sort of.