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.

I do agree @Whitengold but there is an air of smugness in your posts. Like 'ha ha ha it serves them right - tee hee!' But yeah, I don't think they should get Government help either. They chose to move there, as you say, when people do, it's often to avoid paying tax.

This puts me in mind (a bit) of that middle class over privileged couple who went on a motorbike 'road trip' and ended up in Iran, and were accused of being spies, and have got 10 years in prison. I'm not saying I'm glad it's happened to them, and FWIW I think they should let them go, but they are moaning because the British Government won't help them.

But they CHOSE to go, knowing how unsafe it is in Iran for many people, especially westerners, and also, they moved to Spain in 2019! So they're not even in the UK anymore. (And not paying tax!) So why on earth they think the UK should help them just baffles me.

I don't care if someone is a 'British National,' if they chose to go and live in another country, and things go tits up for them for some reason, it's a bloody cheek for them to expect the British Government to help them!

So what if they have paid tax for some years before they went?! It only covers them while they're in the UK. They can't bank it and say 'we paid all this tax you need to help us blah blah blah...'

<gestures at the entire thread and many similar on MN>

Irrespective of thoughts people may have about Dubai and people who go there and their motivation, they are British nationals and the main duty of a government is to protect its nationals. So yes they should be entitled to repatriation on that basis. Assuming they want to, if they’ve sold up and have no job in the UK, they may still stay there.

This is a really good idea. Pay some kind of ex pat tax for the country you consider yourself to be a citizen of, or give up citizenship. Why don't they do this does anyone know?

Why on earth is that poster bitter and twisted?

Would you expect the British Government to take care of people who have never paid a penny into the pot OP?
Because there are way more of those than people who have paid a lot in and now as live tax exiles.
Every British subject should be looked after by their government in these circumstances.

I’m not sure I can muster much sympathy for people who holiday or choose to live in a country that was built on the backs of slaves. Have appalling human rights records and still views same sex relationships are illegal.
You chose, perhaps this is now the consequences of that immoral choice.

Is there any need for this?

Hear hear!

About as much need as for OP shit stirring post.

Being a British citizen means you’re entitled to protection, no matter where you live. Evacuations aren’t perks for loyalty, they’re basic rights. And while you’re busy criticising, on day when maybe you’re handing over large % of your income in tax you might actually understand why people made that choice. Judging from your post, it looks like that day is not going to arrive anytime soon…

What would you do if someone looked you in the eye and told you that they could have done better (i.e. earned more money and not lived in poverty) if they had worked harder? Some people are poor because they don’t put enough effort into not being poor.

That person was my father by the way. So I grew up in poverty because he couldn’t be arsed.

Technically any Brit who lives abroad is dodging UK tax apart from some very specific circumstance. Plus evacuation usually focuses on tourists, foreign office staff and families of the forces first.

This is one of those "stories" you see reported in the Daily Mail one way or the other.

UK government repatriates British citizens from Dubai.

Headline = TAX PAYERS HARD EARNED MONEY FRITTERED ON WEALTHY TAX HAVEN INFLUENCERS.

(photo of groomed young people drinking cocktails in the sun)

UK government refuses to repatriate British citizens from Dubai.
Headline = POOR BRITS LEFT IN WAR TORN HELLHOLE WHILST HOTELS HERE FULL OF FOREIGNERS. WHEN WILL THIS COUNTRY LOOK AFTER ITS OWN?
(photo of sad face elderly couple sitting on pile of cases at shrapnel filled airport)

Around 75% of the UK nationals currently in the ME are short term visitors or in transit. Pretty much all of these people will be UK tax payers.
Many of the UK nationals people currently living/working in the ME will have paid into the UK system in the past and will do so again in the future. Some will still be paying into the UK system.

If we are going to make being a net contributor to the UK tax system a prerequisite for receiving government assistance we are going to exclude a lot of people - around 50% of the population.

Are you sure that is apath you want to go down, OP?

Out of the 250K expats in Dubai, do you genuinely think that they are represented by the 2% of influencers you see on insta? Really?
We live in a global economy where people move across the world for better jobs and career opportunities. And any civilized country repatriates its citizen if they get caught up in a war zone.

Here is another thought as we are apparently dishing out responsibility…… Why exactly might they need repatriation? Is it because the good old USA has unilaterally decided to start an illegal war in the ME again and drag its allies including the UK into that illegal war again facilitated again by a Labour govt? Is the whole region destabilized again due to western influence.

This is not like the situation of the (stupid) couple that decided to ignore all advice and motorbike across Iran.

Dubai was a safe country - the only reason it isn’t now is due to western imperialism stupidity AGAIN.

And still paying higher rate tax. I'd guess most people on MN have too much time on their hands!

I could be wrong, but I think in the end they pay for it.

Oh here we go again.. this isnt anything new, British citizens have been evacuated from dangerous areas for years.
Why has everyone suddenly started whinging about it?
Should we just leave them to perish?

Only higher rate? Maybe we should limit assistance to additional rate payers - many of whom will be resident overseas.

There are so many news stories at the moment, in which the consistent through line in many of the comments btl/the online discourse, is "why should we spend so much on people who aren't contributing/won't contribute anything." These groups range across disabled children, asylum seekers, graduates who take on low paying jobs, people on universal credit.

The humane answer is usually "because its the right thing to do," followed up with "because some people in those groups will contribute some day," "because any of us could one day be the person who needs support," "because there are complicated reasons why people end up in that situation," "because they'll always be a few cases where people don't deserve support but most people do and its hard to separate those out."

So, UK expats in Dubai who aren't paying UK tax on their primary income are in the same situation. And, as above, they should be helped. But if it's ok to ask the question about the other groups, it's ok to ask the question about them.

You are either purposely ignorant or just plain stupid if you think the only British nationals in the Middle East are wealthy tax dodgers.

Apart from all the holiday makers (both holidaying in the ME or transitioning through) the majority of ex-pats are average middle of the road earners who took jobs there for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with dodging tax.

Im taking it that you have sat down and worked out exactly how much you have paid into the “system” through various taxes against how much you have benefited from services provided including schooling, healthcare, road maintenance, street lighting etc etc as you wouldn’t want to be in a deficit would you!!