teuchterpete

For 25 years I lived on the west coast of Scotland . It was Idyllic except for , Rain, expensive, terrible road network, cold summers, and lots and lots of lovely midgies. Now in inland Andalucia we have:cheap cost of living, hot summers, no mozzies( where we are!) Motorway direct to Seville ( and airport) . Don't get me wrong, I loved living in Scotland but........

dougal03

Hi Teuchterpete, I also lived in Ayrshire,Glasgow & later in Edinburgh.Wasn't bothered with the midges there but I can tell you where the mozzies are in Spain-following me on Costa Blanca!

Vinny17

I have read the OP posts here and on the PT forum. I spent a great deal of time researching PT tax laws and NHR, but in the end I realized that tax should not be the defining reason for a move. Ultimately no one on a forum is going to share your interests or points of view. You need to decide what it important to you (or your friend) You need to pitch up and take a look. Decide for yourself. Take a chance. Stop barking from the porch, and start running with the big dogs. From my perspective Spain is more enticing than Portugal.

I am not too worried about Brexit. Can you imagine Spain offending 400,000 British Expats? I doubt it. Even if they do decide to do this, imagine the deals for the new expats they will need to welcome. Real estate will be a bargain. Keep your powder dry.

Pulaski

Right, there have been plenty of daft arguments about the British expats in Spain since the 2016 referendum, notably about the retirees, and whether they would be forced out.

The Spanish economy has been fragile at best for a long time, and very shaky since the great recession in 2008-2009 and the Spaniards simply cannot afford to lose tens of thousands of British pensioners who are spending their pensions in Spain, so contributing funds to the economy, while not taking jobs, or even looking for work. I fully expect that Spain will continue to attract British pensioners, and provide some sort of relatively accessible visa (subject to income and/or assets), even after the Brexit transtion period ends.

Moses2013

As you say, those who have the worry which country offers better tax laws are in a very good position. Then there's still the option of splitting time between two countries to avoid this. Not only can you enjoy both countries at the best times but also have more security.

amideislas

The status of existing legally resident British expats in Spain has already been guaranteed. That's no longer in question. To "kick them out" or otherwise treat them differently would render no tangible benefit to anyone.

However, future "Britain in the sun" wannabees will be subject to the same burdens as any non-EU immigrant, and that will likely become an untenable barrier for many.

Why would real estate be a "bargain"? Our properties have at least doubled in value in the past 5 years alone. And that's in a period when British ownership has been steadily declining. Germans are the big buyers now. Along with Austrians, Swiss, Scandinavians, Dutch, and surprisingly, Romanians and other eastern Europeans. I'm not aware of any expectation that will change because of Brexit.

Vinny17

Wannabees in Spain will be welcomed. There will be a minimum income / wealth requirement. If Spain doesn't do this, other warm climate countries will fill the void. Spain won't be left behind on the retirement wave. Life goes on. A barrier for few wealthy expats. Deal with it.

Property increases in Europe by your valuations seem low compared to the rest of the world. Doubling in the past 5 years seems low by my metrics. Not very impressive.

Fred James

Yes you can split your time but after Brexit is completed you can only spend 90 days in Spain in any 180 day period.

amideislas

It would have to be a non-EU country. But then, Britain was pretty lax about non-EU imigration while it was a member, so, maybe you're right. But money talks, and there's not much evidence that Britain will be swimming in that anytime soon.

And frankly, I'm quite happy with our property valuations. It's nice that "the rest of the world" doubles faster, but that does harden the fall.

Moses2013

True but there must be ways around this still? In Ireland myself and still have EU passport, so didn't dig deeper. British can still travel to Ireland without restrictions and we're not in Shengen.