Originally Posted by CanadaJimmy

I agree that visiting and living are two completely different things - though most importantly, it really depends on the person. A lot of people don't care about political issues, or CCTV watching them every moment, or being taxed to death. These were things that really bothered me in England, but I can understand other people not really caring about it. I also think it's true that the country you were born or grew up in is not necessarily the place you are best suited to.

Originally Posted by Almost Canadian

And so you moved to B.C. You'll have to explain that one to me

Originally Posted by Shard

Easy to say from the perspective of us that are 18+++. It must also complicate things for the OP with one parent happily emigrated to Canada and the other back in Blighty.

Originally Posted by bats

It is easy to say, and it should be easy for an 18 year old with dual nationality to do. My friends kids are all over the place, heck one even came to Canada. There's no need to be worried about whether or not it's the right thing to do, she's young. Just do it and see where life takes you. You can be too sensible too young.

Originally Posted by CanadaJimmy

I agree that visiting and living are two completely different things - though most importantly, it really depends on the person. A lot of people don't care about political issues, or CCTV watching them every moment, or being taxed to death. These were things that really bothered me in England, but I can understand other people not really caring about it. I also think it's true that the country you were born or grew up in is not necessarily the place you are best suited to.



I agree that it shouldn't all be about affordable accommodation or your salary when immigrating, it should be about following a dream. Heck, Vancouver is one of the worst places in the world for those two things, and I am very happy living here.

If it had turned out to be a bad decision coming to Canada, I could have gone home, I didn't bring all my possessions with me, and I had family in England. I think the idea of a 1-2 year working holiday that people have suggested is a great idea.

I actually met a mother one time who was British and immigrated with her kids, they also loved England and wanted to live there every time they visited.

To the OP - I'm curious what part of England you would be moving to if you did want to go back.

Originally Posted by Shard

Easy to say from the perspective of us that are 18+++. It must also complicate things for the OP with one parent happily emigrated to Canada and the other back in Blighty.

Originally Posted by dbd33

My daughter, the one who emigrated to London, loves it because the opportunity to go abroad presents itself every weekend.

Originally Posted by lottie95

As I've gotten older I've started to think more about how my dad back in England must have felt and still is feeling - although I understand and agree that my mums marriage to him wasn't for the best, my dad was still a big part of my life when I lived there. In a way I see it must feel unfair to him that my mum brought my sister and I to an entirely different country, so we only get to see our dad when we go back to visit.

Originally Posted by CanadaJimmy

The UK has a 50% income tax bracket and charges 20% VAT on Goods and on prepared meals out.

B.C. has some of the lowest personal taxes in Canada (believe it or not).

The only taxes I don't like here are the ones on fuel, but that's still lower than England.

Originally Posted by Aviator

Then the PST, which hits us all, now the HST has gone and we'll find it being built into pricing as an embeded tax from producers, then we pay PST again at Point of Sale.

The new recycling levy that is coming to all producers for 2014, which will end up as an environmental fee or embedded in price, so we don't see. On the surface we may look as though taxes are low, but added up, we get hit with closer to 50% tax on income when all said and done.

Originally Posted by lottie95

Canadian holidays usually are to over-commercialized resorts in Mexico and Dominican Republic, not really my cup of tea.

Originally Posted by Steve_P

That is rather a simplistic and silly comment. With all of north america to see, you consider Canadian holidays as only to commercial resort in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

How very very sad. Perhaps you'd like Canada more if you chose to see more of it.

Originally Posted by YoshiPal2010

Certainly seems to be where most Canadians go! When they not visiting Kelowna or Wasaga Beach, that is!

Originally Posted by Shard

UK top rate currently 45% (over £150K)
but for most people 40% (over 32K)

Originally Posted by BristolUK

Most?
It's always hard to find conclusive information on this sort of thing. Even "average" is a bit meaningless when distorted by so many high earners, but some figures I have seen over the years suggest most people do not earn anything close to what many believe.

I remember reading when average earnings were being reported as about £25k that most people were on less than £20k for example.

A few months ago in the guardian there was reference to low and middle earners - which sounds like the majority to me - needing pay rises above inflation for several years to hit something like £26k.

So...I was just googling on this 40%/£32k and in all the newspaper sites I found references to it (Mail, Telegraph, Independent) and other agencies, the highest figure I can find for UK taxpayers earning above the £32k is just under 4m.

Not sure of the size of the UK workforce but I'm fairly sure that 4m is a long way from being most of them.