# Wannabe a Brit again



## Jen (Oct 3, 2007)

Hello Everyone, I'm a Newbie. Need some help!

Are there any Brits that lived in Canada for a while & then returned to the U.K. out there? 

We will be pensioners next year & want to come home. Only thing is, how do we pay only one taxman? Any help would be so appreciated.


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

Welcome to the expat forum! Will you be getting a UK pension, or a Canadian pension, or both?


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Jen said:


> Hello Everyone, I'm a Newbie. Need some help!
> 
> Are there any Brits that lived in Canada for a while & then returned to the U.K. out there?
> 
> We will be pensioners next year & want to come home. Only thing is, how do we pay only one taxman? Any help would be so appreciated.


Why do you want to come back ? Are you being mistreated there ? Or can you not say as you fear repocussions maybe ?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Why do you want to come back ? Are you being mistreated there ? Or can you not say as you fear repocussions maybe ?



I'm not quite sure what you're on about


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> I'm not quite sure what you're on about


Well nobody would want to come back voluntarily surely 

reckon maybe they holding his family to ransom ?? Or some other ghastly thing ?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Well nobody would want to come back voluntarily surely
> 
> reckon maybe they holding his family to ransom ?? Or some other ghastly thing ?


You really do have a dim view of the UK dont you! Theres so much thats still great about great britain, even if you dont agree with the politics and taxes


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> You really do have a dim view of the UK dont you! Theres so much thats still great about great britain, even if you dont agree with the politics and taxes


Is there then lets have a laugh and see you name 5 ? 

Thats him stuffed for a hour LMAO


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Is there then lets have a laugh and see you name 5 ?
> 
> Thats him stuffed for a hour LMAO


Oh Dear you really do have a problem dont you
And as I said on the other thread you dont read my posts very well as I already put a long list on another thread

Such as 
The extremely beautiful and varied countryside
The British sense of humour
British Pubs
The village way of life
The history and architecture ..... you know, our great British heritage like Cathedrals, Houses of Parliament etc etc


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> Oh Dear you really do have a problem dont you
> And as I said on the other thread you dont read my posts very well as I already put a long list on another thread
> 
> Such as
> ...


LMAO

I knew thats what the list would be ..

The Countryside is boring and nothing special , every country has scenic beauty whats so special about a field with some trees ?

Well my humour is superb i grant you but then i am half German actually ?

British Pubs where you cant smoke !! Only good for Mothers day and kids now .

Village life has long gone you been watching to much Emmerdale on Sattelite .

The History  every Country has history !! 
Cathedrals and Houses of Parliment  What you gonna do buy a tent and sit and look at them all day ?

try again there just nothings ?
I will give you another hour ,go on try again ?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

I'm afraid it really is impossible to discuss this seriously any further with someone who thinks the British countryside is boring and nothing special!!!

And having moved from a village I can tell you village life is alive and well in rural england if you just have the eyes to see it.

As I said before, take the time to read the list I already posted, if you can be bothered!



Big Pete said:


> LMAO
> 
> I knew thats what the list would be ..
> 
> ...


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> I'm afraid it really is impossible to discuss this seriously any further with someone who thinks the British countryside is boring and nothing special!!!
> 
> And having moved from a village I can tell you village life is alive and well in rural england if you just have the eyes to see it.
> 
> As I said before, take the time to read the list I already posted, if you can be bothered!


I live in the country i own 5 acres of Countryside and a lake in my garden and trust me after a few days its boring !!!

Just out of curiosity ? Why did you go to Spain then ? If living in UK as you so rightly boasted is a great place ?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> I live in the country i own 5 acres of Countryside and a lake in my garden and trust me after a few days its boring !!!
> 
> Just out of curiosity ? Why did you go to Spain then ? If living in UK as you so rightly boasted is a great place ?


Because I wanted an adventure and a complete change of life style ...... just because I moved here doesn't mean I dont like my country of Birth. I am extremely proud to be British, but again that doesn't mean I dont get embarrassed by some of the antics of Brit tourists.

If you've got some dosh behind you, Britain is a beautiful place to live. Its got its problems for sure, but you wait until you get ensconced in your new home in Majorca .... you may find its not all sweetness and light there either


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> Because I wanted an adventure and a complete change of life style ...... just because I moved here doesn't mean I dont like my country of Birth. I am extremely proud to be British, but again that doesn't mean I dont get embarrassed by some of the antics of Brit tourists.
> 
> If you've got some dosh behind you, Britain is a beautiful place to live. Its got its problems for sure, but you wait until you get ensconced in your new home in Majorca .... you may find its not all sweetness and light there either


Well i am ashamed to be called British nowdays .. thats why i add the 1/2 German bit .

I have dosh behind me and i hate the place its now become with a vengeance !!

If its not all sweetness and light i will write a report accordingly and move onto Cyprus or pastures new until i find the place that ticks most the boxes


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Well i am ashamed to be called British nowdays .. thats why i add the 1/2 German bit .
> 
> I have dosh behind me and i hate the place its now become with a vengeance !!
> 
> If its not all sweetness and light i will write a report accordingly and move onto Cyprus or pastures new until i find the place that ticks most the boxes


You will fit in well in Mallorca being half German, as they own 70% of the island and make everyone know about it too.


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

and I just have to say, Jen, if you need to come back then feel free to express that need, and don't be bullied into staying in Canada or not discussing it at all just because some disillusioned ignoramus hates a country that has given him all he has up until now.


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## yummymummy150 (Sep 8, 2007)

oh god world war 3 here we go again.(glad its all on pc,but face to face would you all express your veiws the same).


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

yummymummy150 said:


> oh god world war 3 here we go again.(glad its all on pc,but face to face would you all express your veiws the same).



Well theres always room for healthy debate aint there  ..... and yes I would. I cant take someone seriously who says that the English countryside is boring and nothing special. You can dislike a country for sure ..... thats your choice, but when it comes down to saying things that are clearly untrue and misrepresentative then thats another thing and would give prospective people who want to move to the UK a jaded view.

The Lake District, The Malvern Hills, Snowdonia, Derbyshire Dales, Exmoor, The cliff walks of Devon and Cornwall, Scotland in General, Stratford upon Avon, York Minster, Canterbury, ..... all very boring unspecial places eh?


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## yummymummy150 (Sep 8, 2007)

yes there are a lot of special places(I give scotlandthe thumbs up) I just need more sun to power me.so its cyprus for me.every where in the world has its pros&cons, we all have different wants &needs.After living in surrey for five years i can still feel the joy i felt going over the forth to fife. but i still want to try a new life in the sun.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

yummymummy150 said:


> yes there are a lot of special places(I give scotlandthe thumbs up) I just need more sun to power me.so its cyprus for me.every where in the world has its pros&cons, we all have different wants &needs.After living in surrey for five years i can still feel the joy i felt going over the forth to fife. but i still want to try a new life in the sun.


And thats exactly what _we_ did ...... all I was trying to illustrate to him is that you dont have to hate and diss your mothercountry to start a new life in the sun. Comparing everything to the UK ALL THE TIME is not helpful


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

yummymummy150 said:


> oh god world war 3 here we go again.(glad its all on pc,but face to face would you all express your veiws the same).


Its not world war 3 its just a healthy debate , the forum needs a challenging conversation or 2, or it will become dull lifeless a bit like the UK 

If we did meet i would most certainly have a go at him about his Racism problem


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Its not world war 3 its just a healthy debate , the forum needs a challenging conversation or 2, or it will become dull lifeless a bit like the UK
> 
> If we did meet i would most certainly have a go at him about his Racism problem


What if I were black?


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> And thats exactly what _we_ did ...... all I was trying to illustrate to him is that you dont have to hate and diss your mothercountry to start a new life in the sun. Comparing everything to the UK ALL THE TIME is not helpful


Well we cant all walk round blinkered as to whats happening in the UK , there is absolutely nothing good about it anymore .. and its gonna go into big time recession very very soon trust me .

If it was so good nobody would leave would they ?


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> What if I were black?


LOL nah somehow i dont think you are ..


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Well we cant all walk round blinkered as to whats happening in the UK , there is absolutely nothing good about it anymore .. and its gonna go into big time recession very very soon trust me .
> 
> If it was so good nobody would leave would they ?


You aren't blinkered about the UK then?

To say that there is NOTHING good about the UK is just plain daft ... there _are_ many things that are bad, but you really are going to have a wake up call when you eventually get where you are going, cos every country has its share of bad things and you might just end up experiencing those bad things in a sunnier climate. Trust me ..... I'm here, you're not yet!

Every country has a number of people leaving it .... would be very boring if everyone stayed in their own little bit of the world and didn't venture out. Some have the adventure and bottle to go for it


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Well we cant all walk round blinkered as to whats happening in the UK , there is absolutely nothing good about it anymore .. and its gonna go into big time recession very very soon trust me .
> 
> If it was so good nobody would leave would they ?


Pete I cant for one second imagine how hard life must have been for you in England, I can begin to guess that it was hard having lived in sheltered housing or assisted accommodation, or in a council estate but as someone who has been brought up in the countryside I can honestly say that my life has been pretty all right, not hard or tough in the least......................


unlike your life.


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Hurricane said:


> Pete I cant for one second imagine how hard life must have been for you in England, I can begin to guess that it was hard having lived in sheltered housing or assisted accommodation, or in a council estate but as someone who has been brought up in the countryside I can *honestly say that my life has been pretty all right*, not hard or tough in the least......................
> 
> 
> unlike your life.


LOL

My life money wise and everything is fine thanks , its just the way the New UK is thats the problem ,if things were like the 70s i would be happy as Larry well apart from the weather thats always been hit and miss .

I see you say your life has been "pretty all right" now if your content with a pretty alright life well good for you , but i want the icing on the cake which for me requires a move away ..

Yes i could adopt your approach and plod on til the day i die , feeding the Governments spending habits , whilst slowly eroding any chance of enjoyment the British Family have left !!

But nope clear warm seas and a nice Boat , and sensible living expenses for me  before they think of yet a newer plot to spoil the Country and the Old generation of Brits ..


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## Jen (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Synthia,

Thanks so much for your reply. Being new on this site we are a bit daunted by what goes on & how to contact all of the great people out there. 

Our questions to all expats is this, how do we cope with the taxman? We live in Canada & will both get a Canadian pension. One of us will receive a very small British pension at age 65. 

We have no problem paying the taxman BUT twice over is a bit harsh when you are going on a pension. I know there simply has to be English people, expats, that have retired to Canada that retired back to England. How can we find them to talk about their experiences.? 

Any help would be so appreciated.

Thanks to all,
Jen


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## bartsimpson (Oct 29, 2007)

Where does Pete wanna live? UK is just well balanced on the whole.


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

bartsimpson said:


> Where does Pete wanna live? UK is just well balanced on the whole.


Pete is going to live in Mallorca Spain, a quiet little area away from the hustle and bustles , with a 5 minute walk to the softest sandy beach with the clear blue seas gently lapping in a nice cove , where Petrol is only 70p a litre and a Smoke only cost £ 1.70 a pack , with fruits and vegetables grow in the garden that you just pop out and grab as needed .
Where you can breath fresh air and wake to the sunshine just glistening over the horizon and shimmering on the blue sea , where you can get the UK daily paper to have a laugh whilst you wait for the Mrs to do the egg and bacon brekky .

Where the rubbish bins are emptied daily and the streets are clean and shops dont shut at 5pm . 

Where you can watch Sky Sattelite all night long if you want and if you really need to ,or if you just want to go back to have a look at what your missing or if your forced back due to family matters etc well within 2 hours you can be back to the Mixed up Multi racial over taxed UK ..

In regard to well balanced , dont see that what you call well balanced as to my way of thinking Uk is out of balance !!

In Uk you work to survive you dont live as such you just work to feed the government , and to stay alive


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Pete is going to live in Mallorca Spain, a quiet little area away from the hustle and bustles , with a 5 minute walk to the softest sandy beach with the clear blue seas gently lapping in a nice cove , where Petrol is only 70p a litre and a Smoke only cost £ 1.70 a pack , with fruits and vegetables grow in the garden that you just pop out and grab as needed .
> Where you can breath fresh air and wake to the sunshine just glistening over the horizon and shimmering on the blue sea , where you can get the UK daily paper to have a laugh whilst you wait for the Mrs to do the egg and bacon brekky .
> 
> Where the rubbish bins are emptied daily and the streets are clean and shops dont shut at 5pm .
> ...


You have rose tinted glasses Pete ... the reality is slightly different. You'll find out when you actually get here.

The shops OPEN at 5 ... they are closed all afternoon. They dont open on Sunday at all.

The Spanish throw rubbish anywhere without any thought. Fly tipping is everywhere ... builders rubbish and the like. SKY sattelite is illegal here ... we only get it by defualt and every so often they narrow the "bandwidth" so you lose a lot of programmes at certain times of the day.

Multi racial? Welcome to Spain! Thats what we are 
When you peg it, ALL of your precious fortune will be liable to IHT at anything up to 40%. Whilst you live here ALL of your income worldwide will be liable to income tax at rates comparable to the UK, and also wealth tax on your total wealth.

What I am trying to say Pete, is nothing is perfect, and you haven't experienced living here yet


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> You have rose tinted glasses Pete ... the reality is slightly different. You'll find out when you actually get here.
> 
> The shops OPEN at 5 ... they are closed all afternoon. They dont open on Sunday at all.
> 
> ...



Think your confused with mainland i am Mallorca , we dont get the Racial mix all i have seen in 4 years is a handful of blacks doing hair into braids and blokes selling sunglasses etc ..
Mainly full of Germans ,Dutch and Brits all apart from the holiday brigade are wealthy , If you get in the back streets of bigger towns then maybe they may appear but there is No Jobs for them here .. No free housing No free handouts etc..

On the subject of taxation did you know the moment i dont live in England i will save £ 3,000 a year just in our Cigarette tax 
30 % savings on Fuel
£ 1,500 a year in Council tax
£ 1,500 a year in food bills
and thats just for starters ! thats £ 6,000 yep £ 6,000 !!! 

Like i keep saying you have to be Rich to live in England .. 

Rose tinted glasses dont come into it common sense comes into play .. Maybe your living in a rough area ?

also shops closing for siesta suits me in the summer have a afternoon nap then go shopping brill lol


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Big Pete said:


> Think your confused with mainland i am Mallorca , we dont get the Racial mix all i have seen in 4 years is a handful of blacks doing hair into braids and blokes selling sunglasses etc ..
> Mainly full of Germans ,Dutch and Brits all apart from the holiday brigade are wealthy , If you get in the back streets of bigger towns then maybe they may appear but there is No Jobs for them here .. No free housing No free handouts etc..
> 
> On the subject of taxation did you know the moment i dont live in England i will save £ 3,000 a year just in our Cigarette tax
> ...



No Pete, I live in a very nice area ... I refer to generalities I have learned about all over Spain, mainly in the Costas and, yes, in Mallorca. Thats what I mean about rose tinted glasses ... you concentrate on the plusses and ignore the minuses!!

Sure if you booze and smoke you will save money, but you've ignored the fact that income tax in Spain can be as punative as in the UK, and when added to the wealth tax (a tax on your assets, savings, investments etc) whether they be UK, offshore or Spain, and the Inheritence tax has NO allowances. Depending on your circumstances you pay IHT on all your wealth. Also if you are unfortunate enough to peg it, your family can't sell your villa in Majorca to raise the funds to pay it ... they have to raise the funds to pay it before they can sell it.

Health cover ..... unless you are of retirement age the best you can qualify for is a couple of years under the state system with an E106 .... after that you have to take private cover until you reach retirement age ... another expense.

You missed my point really though Pete .... all I was saying was that you have look at the whole picture. I'm not saying that the UK isn't an expensive place to live, I'm saying that living in Spain has its hidden costs too.


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## Hurricane (Aug 12, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> No Pete, I live in a very nice area ... I refer to generalities I have learned about all over Spain, mainly in the Costas and, yes, in Mallorca. Thats what I mean about rose tinted glasses ... you concentrate on the plusses and ignore the minuses!!
> 
> Sure if you booze and smoke you will save money, but you've ignored the fact that income tax in Spain can be as punative as in the UK, and when added to the wealth tax (a tax on your assets, savings, investments etc) whether they be UK, offshore or Spain, and the Inheritence tax has NO allowances. Depending on your circumstances you pay IHT on all your wealth. Also if you are unfortunate enough to peg it, your family can't sell your villa in Majorca to raise the funds to pay it ... they have to raise the funds to pay it before they can sell it.
> 
> ...




It will fall on deaf ears.


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Hurricane said:


> It will fall on deaf ears.


You always have to stick your tenpenneth in dont you !!


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## Big Pete (Aug 7, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> No Pete, I live in a very nice area ... I refer to generalities I have learned about all over Spain, mainly in the Costas and, yes, in Mallorca. Thats what I mean about rose tinted glasses ... you concentrate on the plusses and ignore the minuses!!
> 
> Sure if you booze and smoke you will save money, but you've ignored the fact that income tax in Spain can be as punative as in the UK, and when added to the wealth tax (a tax on your assets, savings, investments etc) whether they be UK, offshore or Spain, and the Inheritence tax has NO allowances. Depending on your circumstances you pay IHT on all your wealth. Also if you are unfortunate enough to peg it, your family can't sell your villa in Majorca to raise the funds to pay it ... they have to raise the funds to pay it before they can sell it.
> 
> ...


Oh yea i know that its not all paradise and without a doubt there will be a few things that spoil it for me .. 
However after saying that and being only able to go by my experiences so far i feel that there way of life seems so much better and suits me fine .

You could be right as in the UK i am noticing the bad perhaps my brain is only spotting the good in Spains way ..

Of the record thats one of the reasons i didnt go for the mainland because i had a visit to Torrievieca years back and wasnt impressed in the slightest . but where i am in Mallorca its a tiny little out of the way place . and its lovely


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