sparkie down under

check it out

Budget 2012: More to pay higher-rate tax, says IFS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17475709

Arrest warrants: Police hunt more than 30,000 suspects
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17179003

love30stm

Not so Rosey is it

julesnye

Glad I'm not there!

Genesis

FYI they reckon NZ is one of the highest taxed countries in the world when all taxation is taken into account. It IS good here but there are issues that prevail here like the low wage economy, very high cost of living, the brain drain and high taxation but to name a few. Many a time have posters warned about the hardship of life in NZ unless you have sufficient cash/income. Just having the money to get back to the Uk now and then takes lots of saving.

sr71

If you want more 'rosiness' then you could also include the price of holidays these days - I imagine they are now a lot more expensive than most of you remember. Weekend jaunts to the continent, or weeks away, particularly with kids or during school holidays have risen massively. Europe, despite being more accessible is very expensive these days for Brits to holiday to. In fact I'm even seeing people say they can get family holidays in Florida cheaper these days.

sparkie down under

I'm with you on this one Genesis

sparkie down under

Can't agree with this one. A mate has gone to Goa for a third of what it would cost us to go from here, (and yes I know we are further away, but only just), and another mate wanted to catch up with us in the USofA and it was considerably more expensive to go from here than from the UK.

Like grabaseat there are still cheap price flights to many european destinations, and just like grabaseat you have to go when they want you to.

sr71

The low wage things is an issue, I think it would help a lot if they were on a par with Australia, however that would probably just make prices higher too, especially for housing.

Brain drain is not a problem, never has been and it has been proven. The majority of people flocking to Australia are in manual, low paid and/or non-professional jobs. If you already earn a high income in NZ then there is diminishing returns in moving to Australia and it becomes more about lifestyle preference rather than money.

e.g. I know experienced senior IT contractors in Auckland can get $800-$1200 per day, similar rates to Australia but in NZ dollars. It would not really be worth the difference when cost of living is taking into account.

sr71

No comparison really though, It is expensive to generally get anywhere from NZ.

All I'm saying is that prices have definitely risen there a lot in the last few years. A lot of budget operators do not exist anymore, there are fewer players and the market controlled by a few big operators. Plus the increased taxes on air travel and the exchange rates.

sirplug

We all need to remember, there are only 4.5 million people, here. Not much of a consumer force to drop any prices for anything. Unlike UK, Europe and USA, when 10's of millions can shop elsewhere, they do and the competition drop the prices accordingly.....here, of the 4.5 million that exist, what percentage of them, spend money?? Not enough to dent the big companies pockets.....or pull down the prices

It's the price we pay, to live in a less crowded, 'happier' place.....

sr71

And you have to look on the positive side too - places like Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia are still once in a lifetime trips for many Brits/Europeans and they are here relatively cheaply on NZs doorstep.

And West Coast LA can be had for reasonable amounts if you wait for specials.

sirplug

Indeed....I like the idea of telling someone in the UK, that I'm off for a weekend break to Oz!!

chocolate cake

It's difficult to say NZ taxes are higher, there's a very different tax mix, UK to NZ, and depends on your income.

Certainly there's no zero rate band here, but no NI either. Other hand payments to pension schemes are taxable, so are any your employer contributions to say KiwiSaver.

No capital gains tax in NZ, but I'd argue that's a fair tax. No iSA's or similar schemes offering tax free investments, so instead much goes into the rental property market = high no. of politicians with 2nd, 3rd or more homes.


On the comment re: flight prices, much higher here. Flights to Aus, Fiji, Cook Islands etc. are more expensive than similarly distant destinations from UK.

It's not just low paid manual workers that are moving to Australia, there's a significant no. of trained skilled workers in those figures.

West Coast LA wouldn't be my idea of a once in a lifetime destination!

GetReal

Really not sure what the point of this post is? I'm assuming you're saying it's bad news?

You do know the tax free threshold has increased by quite a bit? (I know you don't have one in NZ but it's the amount of money you can earn tax free, have you forgotten already).

So for those people who are now 40% earners, this tax free allowance offsets that (they'll be no worse off). People who are already 40% earners will be better off, myself £200 a year. Those who stay in the lower tax brackets, e.g. my mother, will be £400 a year better off.

But if it makes you feel better then good for you.

Stormer999

So you are telling me that when you ram force 65 million people onto a tiny island that they will live all peacefully together and work hard to a common end......
I can rent you a house back in the land of milk and honey........

The "Police hunt" makes me laugh........what bloody police? the local authorities are looking to employ local security forces to cut budgets.....Well tained and honest.........................help.....
Oh no wait........I'm not there any more.....................yipee.....