Log in

View Full Version : 'Jumping Ship' - split thread re Expatriation



Pages : 1 [2]

kandie_kitten
01-20-2009, 07:37 PM
Best of luck Melonie! I think it's awesome what you're doing.

LuvlyDancer
01-21-2009, 12:29 PM
Ok Melonie we know you are reading this...

Spill the beans and do tell ALL about the holiday house!!

Is it everything you expected? How was the trip? Did your stuff arrive yet?

Melonie
01-25-2009, 01:05 PM
^^^ where the 'move' was concerned, fortunately I took the advice of other ex-pats and chose to buy many things I needed locally rather than attempting to ship them down. This avoids both the shipping charges and the high tariffs which apply to importing 'foreign' items.

As to a 'holiday', I have been running around like the proverbial chicken trying to get a whole lot of necessary things done both government and business related. The one complication at the moment is that there are a number of things that can only be dealt with in the 'capital city', which is 100 miles or so away from my new 'tax home'. However, this is a one-shot deal, so that once all of my affairs are in order future trips to the 'capital city' will only be required a couple of times per year. But with all the travelling around, I am WAY over my 'Margarita Factor'.

In pragmatic terms, recent news from the states only confirms that I made a good choice. First, Nancy Pelosi and Larry Summers are pushing hard to move up the 2010 federal increases in income taxes, capital gains taxes and dividend taxes to 2009 / ASAP. Similarly, NY's governor Paterson has gone on record stating that state budget cuts have pretty much reached their 'practical limit' such that remaining state budget shortfalls will need to be made up for by increases in NY state income taxes, capital gains taxes and dividend taxes. To top it off NYC mayor Bloomberg is also starting to talk about increasing NYC income taxes to bridge the city's budget deficit.

On the plus side for me, both gold and the Swiss Franc are up significantly in US dollar terms since Obama took office.

StuartL
01-26-2009, 01:41 PM
So far, this sounds like a good move. Trips to deal with admin are a chore and often a pain, but it is a really great way to understand how a country works. You get to see their admin, which in turn is a glimpse into the workings of government more generally. I'd take it as valuable tuition into getting things done.

Best wishes.

Melonie
02-01-2009, 07:44 AM
^^^ Thanks ...

And you are absolutely correct that insight into the true workings of local gov't is the secret of not only getting things done but also the secret of thriving versus being exploited ! Fortunately, politicians and police down in this neck of the woods are 'old school' ... i.e. when you buy a politician's favor they STAY bought !