# Back to Natal



## clintyboy (Jul 7, 2011)

Hi everyone

I will be going back to Natal soon , in a month or so after being in the UK for 8 years. I'm considering a job offer of R30000.00 per month in Durban. What i want to know is , is this a good salary , and pls don't say depends what you do etc , i realise different jobs get paid deifferent sums , is R30000.00 enough to get by on comfortably/middle class lifestyle ?

Also do you have to enter the country on your SA passport to show you're back etc or can you just use your UK one ? Does anyone know of any website where you can check the going pay rates , rent and similar , i have looked but haven't found any worth their salt.

Any and all answers will be much appreciated.

Cheers

Clint


----------



## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

clintyboy said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> I will be going back to Natal soon , in a month or so after being in the UK for 8 years. I'm considering a job offer of R30000.00 per month in Durban. What i want to know is , is this a good salary , and pls don't say depends what you do etc , i realise different jobs get paid deifferent sums , is R30000.00 enough to get by on comfortably/middle class lifestyle ?
> 
> ...


It does depend on what you do, whether you want to know it or not! 
How big is your family, it will determine how much you need to earn... and do not forget the tax business.
If you are a SA citizen, you have to enter the country on a SA passport.


----------



## clintyboy (Jul 7, 2011)

Yes i am South African , i'm single so have no family to take care of in SA , have 2 kids in the UK so will be paying maintenance but thats about it as far as expenses are concerned. I'm in management , the offer i'm referring to is for a logistics & procurement manager.

Regards,


----------



## Carlise (Jul 8, 2011)

That sounds pretty much like a good salary...but keep in mind the tax rate of 40% which kills you...It also depends on where you will stay in the Durbs area, but you should be able to live a very comfortable lifestyle


----------



## clintyboy (Jul 7, 2011)

Jeez thats scandalous , we pay less in the UK and get free medical and pension out of it !!! , oh well TIA ey' . Could anyone tell me if i could get car finance as soon as i got back ( given that i had a job ) or would they only want to look at it after a years salaries type of thing ?


----------



## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

clintyboy said:


> Jeez thats scandalous , we pay less in the UK and get free medical and pension out of it !!! , oh well TIA ey' . Could anyone tell me if i could get car finance as soon as i got back ( given that i had a job ) or would they only want to look at it after a years salaries type of thing ?


From very recent experience my husband who is from SA and I returned to live in SA permanently last year after living in UK for 10 years. He had no problem getting car finance (he applied after about 3 months here). His salary is higher than then the one you stipulated but I really don't see that would make much difference since my husband has bought two cars for us on his salary. Hope this helps.

On a different note, I know what you mean about the high taxes and getting nothing in return. Never appreciated the NHS in the UK, now I wish I had. Medical Aid is expensive but it is a must unfortunately.

Good luck with everything. We have not regretted our move and love it here.


----------



## clintyboy (Jul 7, 2011)

Saartjie said:


> From very recent experience my husband who is from SA and I returned to live in SA permanently last year after living in UK for 10 years. He had no problem getting car finance (he applied after about 3 months here). His salary is higher than then the one you stipulated but I really don't see that would make much difference since my husband has bought two cars for us on his salary. Hope this helps.
> 
> On a different note, I know what you mean about the high taxes and getting nothing in return. Never appreciated the NHS in the UK, now I wish I had. Medical Aid is expensive but it is a must unfortunately.
> 
> Good luck with everything. We have not regretted our move and love it here.


Thanks for that , i know i won't regret it , its whats in the blood i reckon !!. I always thought tax was less in SA for some reason , i think people need to stop cribbing the system so we pay the tax and get the benefit in return , like getting the grass cut and rubbish collected. Everytime i go back i notice a deterioration unfortunately however , its a stunning country and i love it !!


----------



## steveh (Apr 30, 2009)

Bring your car with you! it will cost 750ish quid and will be worth it as car are about 40% higher in price. That was the biggest mistake we made was selling our cars before we came out here!


----------



## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

Carlise said:


> That sounds pretty much like a good salary...but keep in mind the tax rate of 40% which kills you...It also depends on where you will stay in the Durbs area, but you should be able to live a very comfortable lifestyle


Like in the UK, the 40% only kicks in after a certain amount. I paid 40% tax in the UK and many other hidden taxes, like NI etc.


----------



## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

steveh said:


> Bring your car with you! it will cost 750ish quid and will be worth it as car are about 40% higher in price. That was the biggest mistake we made was selling our cars before we came out here!


Steve, you can only bring a car in as a Saffer if you fulfill three requirements, one of which is that you should have emigrated officially.
I cannot remember the other two, but it should be available on some or other website.

We brought a car back so I know all about bringing a car back, we brought back a car we took out of the country and even had a few problems to get it back into the country without paying a cent.


----------



## steveh (Apr 30, 2009)

Ah! Thanks for the info!


----------



## ady1976 (Nov 18, 2008)

Hi clint, R30k is a good salary for Durban, and you will be taxed around 7-8k p/m on that. I would look into bringing a car over if you can as they are extremely expensive compared to the UK.

If you want to check out rental prices take a look at Privateproperty.co.za or even gumtree, should give you a rough idea


----------



## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

ady1976 said:


> Hi clint, R30k is a good salary for Durban, and you will be taxed around 7-8k p/m on that. I would look into bringing a car over if you can as they are extremely expensive compared to the UK.
> 
> If you want to check out rental prices take a look at Privateproperty.co.za or even gumtree, should give you a rough idea


If you fulfill the necessary criteria, I would agree on bringing a car back. However , if you do not , you will have to pay 14% VAT and ad valorum tax. Make sure about the car business before you have one shipped over!


Good luck on the move!



Please ignore the 14%, posted correct percentage next posting


----------



## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

MOTOR VEHICLES

Please note that motor cars are subject to significant rates of Import Duty and also Vat on importation into South Africa. Customs Duty of 36% may be payable on cars less than 20 years old. Ad valorem duty (which is based on the valuation of the car) may be anything up to 20%. Vat is 14%.

Please note that an Import Permit must always be obtained prior to the car being shipped from the UK and a letter of Authority must also be produced.

A rebate of duties may be applicable to immigrants and also to South African residents returning permanently to South Africa after obtaining permanent residence status in the UK. A full rebate may be possible for one motor vehicle per family providing that the vehicle was the private property of the importer and was owned and used by the importer in the UK for a period of not less than 12 months prior to departure to South Africa.

In short if you are a South African Resident you must comply with the following three elements. If not, you do not qualify for a rebate of duties.

You originally emigrated from South Africa
You obtained permanent resident’s status abroad
You again return to South Africa permanently


----------



## dayle34 (Jul 30, 2011)

clintyboy said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> I will be going back to Natal soon , in a month or so after being in the UK for 8 years. I'm considering a job offer of R30000.00 per month in Durban. What i want to know is , is this a good salary , and pls don't say depends what you do etc , i realise different jobs get paid deifferent sums , is R30000.00 enough to get by on comfortably/middle class lifestyle ?
> 
> ...


Clint I spent 9 years in Ireland and the transition back to Durban took some time. R30k per month is a good salary for Durban. Taking into account you'll be taxed about R8k. With rent, for example, I live in Kloof and my rent is R7k per month incl lights and water for a 2 bedroom house. Monthly expenditures come out at about R3500 - R4000 incl food and entertainment. 
There are places where you can get a car on a lease agreement or rent to own but be aware that the deposits are fairly steep at about £2000 depending where you go and what you get. 
Another question I have is whilst you were in the UK were you contributing into a pension fund?
Feel free to email me for some insight into how you can get that pension released if you were paying into one to help or any other info you want about expenses in Durban.


----------

