Seriously thinking about leaving the UK - AIBU?

[HonoraBridge]

I love the UK in many ways but it has been going downhill for at least 20 years and it feels as if the speed of the decline is accelerating. I no longer see a happy, or particularly safe, future here. For the first time in my life, I am very seriously thinking about leaving the UK and that feeling gets stronger day by day. When I mention this to friends, many are feeling the same way. YANBU - you are right to think seriously about leaving the UK. YABU - the UK is a still a great country to live in and you are being unreasonable to want to leave.

@HonoraBridge - I completely understand you. I love the UK. There are so many amazing things about it but we had to go. We moved last year and whilst it has not been a smooth ride we have already reaped many benefits. But we do miss family like crazy so we go back very often!

There are many countries that allow people to stay provided that they bring a certain level of investment etc.

your family benefited from high inflation.

according to the BOE inflation calculator it should be worth around 200k now so it's not really just inflation is it?

I think language is quite important. You said that net recipients contribute nothing. That is not true.

You said that the OBR forecast a deficit. That is also not true. The situation may change, but it is as likely to get better as worse.

Your £1.3m (which used to be £1.5m) makes no sense. Yes you need a fund of £1.3m to get an annuity of £30k. But that doesn’t mean that someone receiving £30k in benefits whilst living in a £300k house has wealth of £1.3m. Wealth means possession of assets. A landlord would own the house, and most of the benefits would go on food and consumables as opposed to possessions that could be sold.

No, property has always been an asset class that out performs every other investment. They benefited from the boom in property prices

I have been at work all day. Countries that I am thinking about allow foreigners to stay with certain levels of investment so, yes, they’d “want” me.

So if VAT, CGT, dividend tax and Council tax shouldn’t be levied because they’re double taxation, and all small business earnings are dividends / capital gains, what taxes do you think you should actually pay?

The UK is now a country where 28 million private sector workers are expected to support nine million who are economically inactive, six million public sector staff and 13 million state pensioners. Where the top 1 per cent of earners pay 29 per cent of income tax and the top 10 per cent pay nearly two-thirds, and are then pilloried for failing to pay their “fair share”. No wonder we are all getting poorer

We are getting poorer because wages haven't grown in years. Why do you think public sector workers don't support private sector workers with the taxes they pay?

Asset price inflation, not consumer price inflation (CPI). Housing went from 2x earnings in the late 90s to 7-10x earnings now. (We are saying the same thing).

It wasn't earned by me as I said.

Thanks. You get it! A lot of people commenting seem to think that I don’t like the UK. In fact, I love it but it is going in a disastrous direction. Where do you live now?

I know that as I live in one of those countries. You can meet all the criteria but they can still decline your application, doesn't matter if you hire the best immigration lawyer.

This is wrong again. The bank doesn’t own my house. I do. My name is on the deeds, not the bank’s. When I remortgage and change mortgage providers, property ownership doesn’t change.

The bank has an interest in the property equivalent to the outstanding mortgage debt.

And it’s not ‘pretty much the same thing’. Every month the bank’s interest in the property diminishes, and if the value of the house increases 100% of that increased value comes to me. If I was paid housing benefit my effective housing wealth would remain at zero throughout.

the thing I would say - from my experience is that if you have the right skills you can also get a work visa. The companies that hire you will handle it not you and they know how to get it approved.

We all play by the rules, even if we’d like those rules to be changed.

I am due to inherit about half a million quid one day (care costs notwithstanding). If I worked for that money I’d pay half back in tax. As it is, courtesy of the enormous good fortune of being my parents’ daughter, I will pay zero tax on it. That’s mad. But those are the rules.

@Jaz111 but you said it was double taxation, I disagree. I haven't inherited anything yet thankfully plus who knows what will be needed for care.

I don’t think more taxes are needed at all! So not everyone

I'd rather pay more IHT & less income taxes, certainly tax band thresholds need to be raised.

Everyone here thinks more taxes are needed,

I think they need to be spread more equally.