Gabgoeshome

That is a good attitude to have .

I try to remember that too, I have also been on the end of some 'snobbery' because I try am a lady and eat and behave accordingly .

Snobbery and thinking one is better than another works both ways ,inverted snobbery is a killer !

windsong

Good gosh, Dunroving, that's the same or better than I take home in the U.S. I take home 67% of my gross and that is NOT paying into a 401K either - I am not eligible yet.

I decided this week that, now that I am working, I am going to begin prepping my pets, even though I have 3.5 years before I leave here. I just can't see myself waiting 3.5 years. I don't know what will come to pass that would allow me to return earlier, but perhaps if I make moves towards an earlier return, things will work out.

cheers

I'm with you on, it doesn't matter how you hold your fork in an American culture.

dunroving

Yes, if you start the process (microchip, rabies vaccine, rabies antibody titer test), I think as long as you maintain their rabies boosters you are OK.

I think if you get to the point where you get the 3rd country certificate filled in and countersigned, it has an expiry date (after which I think you'd just have to fill in another one and pay $110 or so for another countersignature), but you'd have to check online or call DEFRA to make sure.

islandwoman120

Took a few - will upload them later on if they came out OK, but I have not been any where interesting for quite some while. Been talking to you all instead!

dunroving

If you are comparing overall taxation (not just income tax), you'll find that some UK taxes (e.g., VAT) are higher than the US equivalent (e.g., State purchase tax), and then there are things like property tax vs council tax (though I think most places in the States would also lose that battle), so it's not a completely straightforward comparison.

And then of course the UK has that wonderful stamp duty on house purchases. :curse:

However, I think especially for older adults, the UK has a lot of breaks (higher personal tax allowance, winter fuel allowance, council tax reduction - I think, not sure, free bus passes) that make the cost of living much better here these days, especially for those on low income.

cheers

Shush don't tell everybody because as it is there are too many moving there and with the government looking at everything some programs could be cancelled. Everything except the bankers bonuses that is.

sallysimmons

And then of course, there are our health care costs which come out of UK taxes, so if you comparing apples to apples, those really need to be included.

I was able to do a pretty good comparison (I'm anal so I worked it all out!) and what I found was that for most people the tax burden (including health care costs) is slightly lower in the UK, but that richer you get, the better off you are in America. Everyone's situation is different of course - my health care costs are £880 a month and NY property taxes are 3x what they would be in the UK, so my savings would be higher than someone in a different situation.

The other big expense difference I see is that a lot of major outlays cost a lot less in the UK. Get a new kitchen here, and you're looking at a minimum of $30,000 for a small kitchen if you buy cheap units and do most of the work yourself. You can get the same thing in the UK for under $8,000.

But of course, salaries are lower so the lower taxes might not help make up the cost of living difference. Basically I think everyone is different and you have to do the full analysis for yourself to work out your financial situation in both countries.

cheers

OK while I'm waiting I will take another walk in the neighborhood in Frome via Google.

dunroving

Don't get me started on that one. I buy into the need for all these austerity cuts (and I'm one who is being affected in my job, big-time), but the lack of b*lls the government is showing regarding bankers is driving me INSANE.

In Ireland, the government told Allied Irish Bank that if they gave out the big bonuses they had planned, the government would remove all support/tax breaks, etc. The bank immediately caved: http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n237128

windsong

Thanks, Dunroving. I am putting this in my file of "Move to UK" info

windsong

That had crossed my mind, too. By the time I get there, half of the programs and perks for OAPS might be cancelled!

windsong

What is the "third" country certificate? I didn't know about that.

windsong

Dunroving, it's even worse in the US. The government gave the banks a TON of taxpayer money while they, the banks, continue to rip off the homeowners and the government does nothing about it. The banks are so large in the U.S., they have crippled the country. They are THE most crooked form of business here. I can vouch for that!

windsong

Getting rid of all that U.S. stress that we lived with for years will take time. It's similar to the grief process - it will come and go in waves for a while with the waves getting longer each time until one day it is gone forever. Three months is a good time frame to feeling "normal" again.

I just want to add that as much as I want to go home to the UK, I am also terrified! Have you all felt this way? I think it is because I have no family there, at least none I can count on.