[ccc]

Not Long Now, on Jun 16 2009, 09:46 PM, said:

Anyone have any experience of Jersey?

I had one like this once ?

[Tim Miller]

ccc, on Jun 16 2009, 08:29 PM, said:

(1) Why would you give something back that could be rather useful in the future ?

(2) I think you may be exaggerating just a little with the leg claim...

!.
Because you pay US TAX wherever you live, I was there for a course.

2. Leg? What leg? And no matter what, I'm not exaggerating, why do you say that?

[ccc]

tbatst2000, on Jun 16 2009, 09:37 PM, said:

Green cards are a use it or lose it thing - if you leave the country for more than 6 months or so you have a good chance of not getting back in next time you try. The rules are somewhat vague and I do know people who've managed to get back in a couple of years down the line but they had substantial US interests and paid US taxes whilst they were away (and that was a few years back, I believe their pickier about it these days). If you don't pay US taxes whilst your out of the country, then you have no chance and, since filing US taxes is a real pain (not to mention expensive if you live in a lower tax country), that's not something you want to do without a very good reason.

Cheers. You still wouldn't give it back though would you ?

You may change your mind 2 months later !!

[ccc]

Tim Miller, on Jun 16 2009, 09:49 PM, said:

!.
Because you pay US TAX wherever you live, I was there for a course.

2. Leg? What leg? And no matter what, I'm not exaggerating, why do you say that?

1. Ah - comprende.

2. You are honestly saying to fix a broken leg costs 70-100k in the US ?

[Y-QUERK]

Luton is pretty foreign.

[Tim Miller]

ccc, on Jun 16 2009, 08:29 PM, said:

(1) Why would you give something back that could be rather useful in the future ?

(2) I think you may be exaggerating just a little with the leg claim...

1. It was not just the tax, then and maybe now if you want a USA passport you have to give up your UK passport, But that was not it, as I originally stated I did not like their values, nor their health care system. When I say a hard country, put that down as uncaring. My parents spent quit a few years there, they thought exactly the same. The yanks are very brainwashed as well, they do not think outside of what they see on TV. There ignorance about other countries and cultures is frightening. I found them very shallow as well. I went there when I was 18, I had a great time traveling around, but even then I decided I would not want to bring up kids there. I also wanted to finish the course and then convert my course to a UK licence, that meant going back to the UK. The rules about having a Green Card don't make that easy.

2. Arghhhh Haaaaaaaa, I see the cost of a broken leg, well my brother is a Dr in Chicago, does that help you understand where I get that from? If this shocks you see the film Sicko by Michael Moore, that will shock you. It exposes the health costs in the US. You will see a Canadian couple taking insurance out for one days travel in the US. They tell you their friend got a head injury, he was charged $600,000! My own experience is as bad, I use a Nitroglycerin aerosol spray, it's $8.75 in the BVI's, and in other Caribbean Islands, right next door in the USVI's it's.......wait for it..............drum role.................$187. Yes you read it right, $187. In the Sicko film / documentary you will see a US woman who pays $200 for an inhaler and in Cuba it's 5cents, yes that's right $200 in the US, just 5 cents in Cuba.

[non frog]

Redhat Sly, on Jun 16 2009, 08:36 PM, said:

That's interesting.

I am not looking for employment. I work for myself from home and all I need is a decent broadband connection.

France has recently introduced some quite good tax plans for small business people. All done on line. You need to earn modest amounts not big sums, though this will change a little next year to include professional people.

http://www.lautoentrepreneur.fr/

If, like me, you still generate revenue in the UK then France is geographically a good bet. Property in the Normandy/Brittany area is relatively cheap and although council tax can be high if you like rural living the out of town places are reasonable. We're having our own crash and there are some good deals to be had. Brits moving back home are an easy target. Cash buyers with a bit of cheek can do well.

A short ferry ride, Eurostar or cheap flight soon gets you back to the client base. Ryanair is opening up the Poitiers area and there are some lovely places there, look round La Rochelle, particularly if like me you enjoy the sea and associated activities. La Rochelle yacht harbour is huge and about one-third the price of the dreadful marinas on the south coast with their brash speedboat tossers. Beaches are good and the food is excellent. A bit south and the Dorgodgne is a brit favourite. Again folk selling up to pay off their idiotic mistakes in the UK are selling out at good prices and will often take sterling, saving the currency charges.

This far south (Montpellier) is a bit hotter (32C here today) Not for everyone. More touristy too and so prices are higher. Still some great deals out of town though.

My broadband is high speed. €44 a month for telephone, ADSL and 3G subscription. Not great customer service TBH but once its up and running its OK. "Fair usage" applies - they told me not to go over 500Mb pcm on the 3G to stay below the radar, I get 3.5Mb connection on the 3G here in the city. Fixed wire is at least as good as my old BT connection.

TV is dire but you can get Freeview via Sky.

Diesel is cheaper than UK as is booze. My two main outgoings

A couple of banks do ex-pat accounts. I use Barclays and they offer internet banking in English and some branches dotted about here and there. Despite the twaddle you read in the UK the English are generally liked (esp in Normandy where the D Day landings took place - they even like the yanks too)

One word of advice for anyone looking at here, any property over €120,000 you will need a "representative" to pay your CGT if/when you sell to go home. This can add 5 grand to the costs. France generally is not a great country to make money on property TBH. However to live in its very pleasant, has excellent healthcare (you need to pay) excellent food and wine and superb roads, rail and infrastructure. Sarko is a prat and taxes will have to go up here as in the UK but there are "ways and means" if you look

This is, IMHO and will be for some time, the best country in Europe to live in. I would, however, not want to be looking for a job here.

[Not Long Now]

ccc, on Jun 16 2009, 09:49 PM, said:

I had one like this once ?

There's always one joker

[time_and_tide]

Tim Miller, on Jun 16 2009, 09:08 PM, said:

I use a Nitroglycerin aerosol spray,

Sorry, would that be for breaking into bank vaults?

[Tim Miller]

time_and_tide, on Jun 16 2009, 09:14 PM, said:

Sorry, would that be for breaking into bank vaults?

That's what I thought when I read the label. It's for my heart, it opens up the arteries. Most American bank robbers could not afford it!

[enrieb]

At some-point in the next few years I feel that the UK could find itself adopting the Euro, if sterling comes under enough pressure (we will probably join at the wrong rate as also)

IF we do end up joining the Euro, will it make relocating around the Eurozone a simpler and less troublesome affair?

Also, does anyone have any experience of how different the process is for moving from say Germany to France vs moving from UK to France?

[ccc]

Tim Miller, on Jun 16 2009, 10:08 PM, said:

1. It was not just the tax, then and maybe now if you want a USA passport you have to give up your UK passport, But that was not it, as I originally stated I did not like their values, nor their health care system. When I say a hard country, put that down as uncaring. My parents spent quit a few years there, they thought exactly the same. The yanks are very brainwashed as well, they do not think outside of what they see on TV. There ignorance about other countries and cultures is frightening. I found them very shallow as well. I went there when I was 18, I had a great time traveling around, but even then I decided I would not want to bring up kids there. I also wanted to finish the course and then convert my course to a UK licence, that meant going back to the UK. The rules about having a Green Card don't make that easy.

2. Arghhhh Haaaaaaaa, I see the cost of a broken leg, well my brother is a Dr in Chicago, does that help you understand where I get that from? If this shocks you see the film Sicko by Michael Moore, that will shock you. It exposes the health costs in the US. You will see a Canadian couple taking insurance out for one days travel in the US. They tell you their friend got a head injury, he was charged $600,000! My own experience is as bad, I use a Nitroglycerin aerosol spray, it's $8.75 in the BVI's, and in other Caribbean Islands, right next door in the USVI's it's.......wait for it..............drum role.................$187. Yes you read it right, $187. In the Sicko film / documentary you will see a US woman who pays $200 for an inhaler and in Cuba it's 5cents, yes that's right $200 in the US, just 5 cents in Cuba.

Cheers very interesting. Have lived in the US myself for a short time. Great country. As for the people. Many are ******ed in the head. Although many are not and get a bad name.

As for the leg ? I still don't believe you !! You could hire a Doc privately for a few seperate hours on a few seperate days for a couple of k - I imagine.

How much would it cost them to get a few x-rays ? Not tens of thousands anyway. How much for the raw materials for a cast ? Hundreds maybe.

I reckon you could get a broken leg sorted for 5k easy. I am not planning to prove the point however.

[Super Mario]

redwine, on Jun 16 2009, 01:18 PM, said:

thailand had a "coup d'etat" in 2006 it was a country under "martial law" until 2007

standard and poor on the 14th of april 2009 reduced there credit rating from A plus to A minus

there seems to be a huge problem with child prostituion there as well as the heroin problem in northern thialand

you could never forget the big "wave" that hit thialand not so long ago they blocked bankok airport i think that the army just killed a few demonstraters

nice people there

Expats in Thailand are mostly insulated from Thai political problems. I was actually living in Bangkok in 2006 and the coup made little if no difference to most peoples day-to-day lives (I got the day off work, and there was nobody around when I went for a run in lumpini park, but that was about it). The political problems aren't over tho, and when the king eventually dies there is the potential for the country to become quite unstable.

The other problem with living in Thailand is visa's. You'll need a work permit (which is hard to get without a company wanting you there) or you'll need to marry a local if you want any kind of permanance. Note even being married to a Thai doesn't give you property or employment rights - and as for citizenship, you can forget it. Still, if you can do a few years there, I'd recommend it. Great place and nice people when you get past the smiling cliche (which can take a LONG time). Another option if you are employed is to get a business visa, these are quite easy to get and you can live in Thailand for up to 15mos (providing you leave every 90 days, but that's easy to do if you are travelling in SE asia anyway).

I'm sure Mr P will be along to add to this at some point.

[ccc]

Two x-rays in North California cost about $200 according to this chap.

X-Rays

Let's put the material cost of the cast etc.. at $200 also.

I know docs earn a lot in the US. But $99,600 for 4 hours work ?