I agree with that Mac,most be summat good about britain, otherwise folk wouldnt want to come here.
It cud be better, but then which country cudnt.

Hi all. I always found Northeners very friendly compared to us Southerners, they seem so ready to talk to anyone. I don't mean the West Country is UNfriendly, but the people are like robins, very area conscious. When my family packed to leave Wiltshire after eleven years  and started putting everything in the Pickfords' lorry, we later heard that a neighbour had commented "I see the new people are leaving"!!

One can travel the country via Rightmove and check out rental costs anywhere. Sometimes one finds somewhere very cheap and one has to wonder why. I think after all these years away, we would like tobe near family, who are still all concentrated in a 10 mile radius. I don't know if I ever mentioned it but Jacqui and I have only been married two years  next week and Jacqui wanted to come over to England for that. THe family arranged everything  for us, from the paperwork at the registry office to the dinner to  a family get together for us for those who could not be at the ceremonies. The only thing that we arranged over the phone was a blessing for us in the little village church where I was confirmed fifty years ago. Family are important and sometimes you don't fully appreciate them until you are far away.  THere is something very special about Britain and being British. It does not matter if we now prefer curries an kebabs to pork pies and pasties, we are forever British.

No sale at the Showhouse, nobody has money and with the interest rate at 15% who has?

have fun, it's the only thing with no VAT


J+J

Hi John
From where I live its 2 hours on the train,and 50 minutes on the plane to london !
houses are half the price but then so are wages in some quarters.Sadly most of the big money is in london.Has wiltshire got an airport ?

Hello Mac,
Whilst I am not a tax expert,here is some info for your perusal.                                                     
Cyprus is one of the most popular countries in the world to move to among British retirees because of a combination of inimitably attractive factors ranging from its tax friendly treatment of pensioners to its fantastic climate. Why Cyprus is such an exceptionally good location for retirees seeking a safe and appealing nation in which to put their feet up, relax and enjoy their hard-earned retirement.

Pensioners who move to Cyprus from countries with which Cyprus has a double taxation agreement (this includes most nations in the world including the UK, USA and Canada for example) and who have a regular pension income over and above CYP 2,000 at the time of writing, no longer have to pay tax on that income in their previous country and only pay 5% income tax on their pension income in Cyprus.  Financially speaking therefore, this is a great reason for retiring to Cyprus!
 
Cyprus has very sophisticated banking and legal systems, it has superior health care facilities - although it is wise to take out private health insurance – and it is also a safe country in which to live with low instances of crime against the person or property.  Petty theft is a concern in some of the more built up areas, but if you take basic precautions such as locking doors and windows when you go out and not leaving lots of valuable items lying about the garden in full view you should be perfectly protected.

There is no inheritance tax in Cyprus. For non-Cypriot nationals, the tax rates can be very low (between 10 and 15%).  There is no wealth nor succession tax for non-Cypriot domiciles. Cyprus is one of the very few tax havens where if you have a UK government pension (for example from military service, or being a civil servant etc), then you can have your pension remitted without deduction of any UK PAYE, and pay a far lower tax rate in Cyprus. A  government pension of this sort usually remains taxable in the UK even though Apart from almost guaranteed sunshine for 320 days of the year, one of the obvious attractions of living in Cyprus is the relatively benign tax regime.

If you are physically present in Cyprus for more than 183 days in a calendar year, you automatically become tax resident there. This in turn means that you will be liable to Cyprus tax on your worldwide income. That said the top rate of tax on earned income is 30%, which applies to amounts of C£20,000 or more, 10% on cash deposit interest regardless of amount and 15% on dividends again regardless of amount.

There is no capital gains tax on anything other than Cyprus based property, no local inheritance tax and no wealth tax. Cyprus also grants unilateral relief, whether or not a double tax treaty is in force, so if you have already paid tax on any income source, you will get a 100% credit for it against your liability in Cyprus.

One of the most attractive tax regulations for residents of Cyprus is the ability for retired people to opt for a discounted rate of 5% on their pensions. There are in fact currently two regimes under which pensions may be taxed and retirees are able to select the one that is most advantageous to them. They are then able to make further selections year by year in accordance with their circumstances.Though you might live elsewhere; Cyprus is a notable exception.

You only retire once.

Regards,
Aubrey Wilson.

AH!!  To retain our English identity, now that september is here ??  Wonder just how long we shall remain English ??

If 2 jags had lived darn sarth instead of oop north, would he have been a better man.

Thankfully, there are still many Green Fields in this pleasant land of our's. Dissapearing, thats True!! due to more Roads and houses required. getting to be a concrete jungle, as some have stated. Have to keep watching Countryfile, on Sunday mornings??

That's true Val. However, I have been on holidays on a "windy" German isle and there were "wind parks" everywhere. You get accustomed to the sight and you accept it, above all if you bear in mind that they are producing a lot of energy at a reasonnable cost and contribuing to getting independent of oil and gas.