To think it's a bit much for tax excuses to expect rescue by the Brotish Government (taxpayer).

[Whitengold]

Hopefully it won't come to that and the airports will reopen soon, but I've already heard some murmurs about evacuation from paradise.

YABU and ignorant, yes.

Tax exiles you mean?

It does feel wrong, but they are UK nationals and need the help right now

OK, but why?

1. you have no idea how made they paid into the pot before they left or how much they’d pay back in if they “naturally” returned

2. it’s so unbelievably short sighted. You’re on damn dangerous ground if you think you only get state safety from a country, home or not, if you’ve paid. What if you’ve moved somewhere or indeed are still in the UK but on a net basis have taken more from the state than you’ve paid in (which, btw, is a huge number of nationals in this country itself)

What if someone needs cancer treatment on the NHS but it would cost the state more than what that person has ever paid in, so they get told to FO and die… same principle as above.

In general governments try to get people out of dangerous situations.

this offer is usually extended to all their citizens regardless of other status.

there will be a lot of tourists and people transiting Dubai as it is a massive hub.

These people have left deliberately to avoid tax. It's not the same as people who've paid their share but never had the income to contribute much.

Because they're British nationals and that's what the government does.

Please at least acknowledge the stupid typos in your title OP, it reads ridiculously.

So, if they’d moved to a country with different tax laws and had been paying in to their system but not ours, would you allow them to be repatriated?

Yes, and i realise it will happen. I just think it's about much to abandon the country to avoid tax, and till expect all the benefits of being British.

I'm not going to "allow" or not anything, but I do think becoming a tax exile is different to other moves, yes.

Some people may have. Some people I know have simply made a life there working, doing a job that actually they cant do on the UK (as there isn't much call for that specific speciality in UK). They have lived there for a long time.
So what are you suggesting? We just say you have to stay where you are regardless? Or we interview them before the flight and check their reasoning for living there was sound and not tax avoidancy.

Any evacuation is likely to focus on stranded holiday makers or people transiting through the UAE and other affected counties. Will perm residents want to come home? Sure some might, but if your job and kids schools are there I’m sure it won’t be that easy to just come back. Not everyone out there is an influencer.

I agree, OP.

I think if you leave specifically so you can avoid paying tax that contributes to the wellbeing of people in your country, you should pay to come back.

All of those who “ran away to avoid Rachel” should face “Rachel” on their return.

It might be “mean spirited,” but so is begrudging vulnerable people eating, enough to emigrate and “take your money with you.” That’s mean spirited, and actions have consequences.

I think that we have to treat them as the British nationals they are and we have to do our best to get them home safely and this is the right thing to do and setting some kind of contribution based barrier to support is a total no go.

But i hope anyone who specifically moved to avoid tax and went on and on about it on social media has a moment of self reflection.

People don’t exclusively go to the Middle East as tax exiles.

It is another weakness in a system of nation states where migration is not aligned with changes in nationality.

It’s also a little tap dance where we show we are an international Player - we repatriate our people when wars start because we can. There will be plenty of people from poorer countries who won’t get out of Dubai. War is always worse for the poor.

Can't talk for the specifics of the Gulf states.but I do know a lot of emigrants from Britain continue to pay at least some tax to HMRC.

I agree with this. Of course they should be repatriated. We have a responsibility to our citizens, and we'll behave like a functioning nation would. But anyone who went to Dubai thinking "I'm getting rinsed in the UK, what do my taxes even pay for" should have a good think about what other people's taxes are paying for.

I appreciate this isn't everyone who lives and works there. But there's definitely a few, considering the MN threads along the lines of "we're high earners and why shouldn't we leave when we get nothing from this country."

Repatriation flights are usually paid for.

People stuck in Dubai because they were changing flights there would have their onward travel paid for by their aircraft carrier, for example, even if the government has helped orchestrate an exit.

The government doesn't have a fleet of passenger planes and military jets aren't really suitable for taking large numbers of civilians so people leaving will be on normal planes - just possibly after having been driven into Saudi Arabia to exit there. Emirates or other airlines will then fly them home from Riyadh.

Anyone travelling should have travel insurance which would also cover the cost.

Not much sympathy if you've travelled without insurance.

Dubai Residents would need to pay the commercial cost.

Why and on what basis?

Maybe not but I've never met one who didn't brag about tax as a benefit of going.

their children didnt leave deliberately to avoid tax. Should we leave them there to get bombed, after all, they haven't paid any tax.

Most people in the Middle East go and work there for a few years then come back to the UK anyway too.

So they have historically paid tax in the UK, and in future will probably be paying tax in the UK.