Ive been through this discussion so many times, and when all is said and done it boils down to the fact that those with very little or nothing in the way of UK assets always deny it will happen, or say it's not a problem.

I actually didn't start with the idea that I was leaving Spain full stop. The idea was to generate income from villa rental, and just ensure I was not a tax resident here. That seems a good compromise to me, because I am not one of those who are glued to one particular place in the world.

I'm happy to fall in with the rules of the country I live in .... and I'm happy to use my option to leave should they start changing them in a way that doesnt suit me. I spent 6 days a week, sometimes 12 hours a day working very hard so I could retire at 52. I'm not about to risk anything now (as my income is based mainly on my assets) that might affect or reduce those assets.

I would also have to say, contrary to what I said before when I permanently lived in Spain, the cost of living here in the UK is not that different now to the cost of living in Spain. Yes, booze is cheap and menu del dia is always good, but once you get past that, its the proverbial six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Exactly, not only can the goalposts be moved, they can be moved retrospectively.

Not giving those affected time to make arrangements.

I picked numbers out of the air, simply to show that having an 800k home to return to in the UK when needed, does not make a person wealthy enough in many cases to be able to pay a 16k asset tax bill to hacienda., should such a tax be brought in.

Agree, I've said much the same about daily living for some time, but the €3 MDD normally rears it's cheap head! I don't even find beer cheap, a tubo, caña is around €1.30-1.50? you need about 3 of those to make a pint, loads of places here sell beer, lager for £2-£3 a pint. The days when Spain was cheap as chips are long gone.

Most essential things, comparing like with like (London v Madrid or a coastal town in UK v one in Spain) are still cheaper in Spain eg rent, public transport, food, council tax etc. Electricity probably a similar cost though.
And certain discretionary items can be cheaper in the UK eg books, newspapers, some can be far cheaper in Spain eg wine and tobacco.
Not sure whether you could claim internet is an essential item though - easy enough to get it free via wifi elsewhere.

Where I am in a local bar you can buy a pint of rank Estrella for €1.50 or a decent Heinken for 2€, a bottle of wine for 3€ (los senores) also you can buy a can of 568ml Amstel for 45c in some shops.

Even taking Whetherspoons prices, a pint of Heineken is £3.75

I could go into the town and pay more, The only things I find expensive is Water and Electric.

In Almoradi which is a more pedominantly Spanish area, you can buy a 330ml (i think) bottle of Heinken for 99c all day and night, and that has been that price for months.

Electricity in Spain is set to be the third most expensive in Europe......http://www.cuatro.com/Las_mananas_de...38/videos.html is very informative

a must-have necessity these days surely?

Yes I believe a rip off, my last 3 bills have been around the 400€ a quarter, the same in UK was about £90 a month

Is that comparing like with like though?
The electricity bill in our flat (in a Madrid winter) has worked out at just over 40 euros a month - and any heating came from a portable electric unit. Will now be lower now the cold weather has gone. Hot water was from the butane though.

Problem is that once the hot weather arrives in Spain many folk feel the need to run expensive air-con, which usually comes free of charge in the UK depending on the weather.

I used less in UK because we had gas on a seperate bill

Yes, I think gas generally is more efficient. I certainly prefer cooking with it.

That is complete nonsense. You can get a pint of "proper" beer for around £2.30 and a lager for around the same. Having said that I would not go into a Weatherspoons just because the beer is cheap. Nor would I go into a bar in Spain for the same reason.
I choose where to drink not on price but on ambiance and on that basis the UK and Spain are not much different.

I don't know what proper beer is ? Heineken is a import in UK and only drink I will take usually.

I am not comparing just prices, all the bars I know are busy, some people cant stand crowds which is fine, I prefer vibrant noisy places with loud TV's on, like tonight i'm watching Bayern be ripped apart, but tomorrow, ill go to the bar that has the loudest sound for the game, in Spanish !

I can agree with you on the price, I choose where I drink by ambience and crowd, if I feel out of place, or it was a bit clicky, chances are I would not drink there on a regular basis.

I would go into a Wetherspoons, not because of the price (although it can be a reason) but I know damn well it (the tap beer) has not been interfered with.