Liana

I make the assumption that living costs are similar here in an area where an engineer would be employed; less mortgage perhaps here but higher heating and basic living costs.Taxes are less in the UK and if the poster has children they get better child allownce, so, if the slary is in excesss of $80,000 which it should be if a good engineer with that amount of experience and working for a good company (not local authorities ), why move here for less?

hudd

Salaries are not the best indicator of buying power to find out what your money really work. The international Purchasing Power Parity in US$ gives you better real value of your money. USA is ranked 3rd, UK 13th, Canada 19th, OZ 21st and NZ 37th.
If you make U$38k in the UK it said you need to make about $2-3k more in Canada.

iaink

You reckon!

Sales tax is lower in BC (14%), Income tax (including NI type deduction) is lower(On my salary less than 26% compared to 33% in the UK), Property tax is probably lower. Whats left?

Buchan6

I can smile about it now but at the time it was terrible !!!!

hudd

When did you leave the UK?

I just checked both my UK(2005) and Canadian(2005) payslips. In Canada I was paying 33.6% in total taxes and 26.2% in the UK. I also earned C$27K more in UK in 2005/06 compared to Canada 2004/05. Property tax $2800 in 2005, council tax £1200 in 2006.

Canada $20/month child benefit and UK £80/month.

iaink

My brother earns almost the same as me (taking exchange rate) Last year he paid over 33%, compared to 26% for myself. Are you counting NI contributions as taxes? I am. Your income was either a lot more than mine, or maybe that was an individual rather than married return?

Dont know about Child Tax benefit though, here we get Harpers $100 a kid per month (really about 60 after tax), and our CTTB for the two youngsters is about $150 a month ( i dot know, I never get to see it). My property tax is less than $2k, (not in BC).

hudd

Yes I included income Tax & NI. I looked at my tax returns I assume the difference is that I paid Surtax which you do not pay in the UK.

Liana

Assuming that the NIC contributions etc are equivalent to EI and CPP the taxes then paid on salaries here are not consistent because as I have pointed out elswhere- provinces are different. The $80,000 salary here would pay from one coast to the other approx. $25000 and $22,000 in federal and provincial taxes. In the UK it would be $20000. House property taxes are still better regulated in UK though they do pay higher VAT cf to our GST/PST. But items are cheaper (except gas) in the UK therefore they do not pay more taxes than us because we pay more for the actual items. How many times do you go back to the UK and see the number of luxury cars in comparison to over here and you don't have to be rich to buy one there. Child benefits are better too, despite all of you youngsters being given the Harper handout.

iaink

You seem to be assuming they are all paid for!

Personal debt in the UK is wildly out of control.

I would contest that everything except petrol/gas is cheaper in the UK too! Some stuff is, some stuff isnt. Its almost like its....a different country... or something.

Im not sure where you are getting your tax numbers from. Hopefully not the e-y website. Oh well, its been discussed here numerous times. not much in it either way was the general consensus.

hudd

I agree in the UK debt has increased, but if you look Canada is going the same way. Average Brit owes £4k in unsecured loans where their Canadian counterpart owes $7k. I think you are seeing the level of borrowing in the UK which is more common in North Americian. Yes Brits do have bigger mortgages due to house prices and so they owe more money. Some of my family in the UK argue that having £250k house instead of a $200k Canadain home is their pension investiment which they can liquidate when they retire is a good thing.

Cars are not much cheaper in the UK than Canada and most of the brand new luxury cars are company cars. I recently had a job interview and found out my company car allowance would be £7k p.a. A second hand 2004/05 Audi A4 would set up back say £15-17k in the UK in Canada it would cost $40k+taxes. I think thats why you see more upmarket cars on UK roads Also. Also strict MOT killed of all the banagers as I had a conversation with a friend in Canada who said if you have the UK MOT here half the cars would be off the road!

njdude26

Im currently in the US and im making $80k USD. The company wants me to now work in Toronto. They said they will still pay me me 80k USD. So for the same exact salary how does it look. They keep telling me i will save a lot in Toronto because cost of living is low. is this true ??!!

stepnek

Child benefit in Canada varies of course in relation to previous earnings. Our income was low last year so we now receive a very good child benefit payment. It could be argued that it's a better system compared to the UK where income isn't taken into account.

Buchan6

I'd tell them to do one !!!

First off you're goin to be renting I guess. Anything reasonable will be for $CDN 1400/month min, higher subject to what you needs are. We hay $1650 plus bills for a new house 30-40 mins drive from Mississauga where I work

If you're buying I'd put money on costs will be more than you'd pay locally for like for like, unless you're in Malibu, Manhatten or Star Island !
Toronto / Van and Calgary must be in the top five or so must expensive places in buy a house in North America.

Gas is more $ here. Also check your car insurance as if they wont accept that your driving regularly here, insurance is likely to be more.

Us Brits find food shopping expensive here so guess you will to.

Finally we were in NYC and Penn state a few weeks back and found our money went further there.

iaink

Depends where you are now and if they are sweetening the deal with any relocation expenses. Try sites like
http://www.homefair.com/homefair/ser...199&internal=T

g_is_for_canada

Anyone who does NOT see Hudd's point is either stupid or blind. One of the greatest issues in discrimination and racism that I'm a witness to, is discrimination against whites, and the complete oblivion to it all.

Perhaps if Britain took a little more care in looking after its natives, instead of the hurt feelings of people who've chosen Britain as their country, native Britains wouldn't all be flocking over here or oz, (and then suffering the irony of being discriminated against again, this time as a foreign worker or landed immigrant).