Why relocate to Spain?

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    • #56286
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Is there anyone out there who is thinking of relocating to Spain. If so, why?

      I only ask because I’m curious as to motivations today compared to the past. It used to be because of Spain’s magic formula of climate, cheap cost of living, and cheap property, plus, in the British case, a certain amount of disgust with the way things are going at home. But Spain’s magic formula isn’t as effective as it used to be, and there’s much more competition around than 20 years ago, Turkey, for example.

      So, why do people want to relocate to Spain today?

    • #105385
      GarySFBCN
      Participant

      In my case, it is simple: I’m a US Citizen, gay and married to a Spanish man. We tried to have him legally immigrate to the US but it is nearly impossible. Due to Spain’s progressive laws regarding same-sex marriage, we can legally live together in Spain. We are legally married in California and in Spain.

      Ideally, I would have waited until age 62 to retire to have sufficient funds to live a very comfortable life, but life is too short to wait. I had planned on retiring in San Francisco and opening a social media consulting business that provides services while mentoring smart kids who may be somewhat ‘in trouble but salvageable’ and who lack job skills. But the US will lose this potential tax revenue and employment opportunitiy for difficult kids because of their homophobic laws.

      So I am making the move – ever so slowly. I do believe that I can still make it work financially, without working. But I am fairly marketable so I should be able to find short-term consulting gigs in Spain or the US to carry me over until US Social Security kicks-in. I can always let go of the flat in San Francisco, if I need to.

      Funny that you mention Turkey, I love the southern coast and could easiliy live there.

      The current economic conditions concern me in, but what is of more concern to me is the easily-exploited nationalism I see throughout Europe. While we in the US have had our share of despicable leaders, causing many problems in the world, we have not approaced ‘dictatorship’ that has been seen in several countries in Europe during the last century. My theory is that there are too many ‘nutcases’ with guns in the US for that to happen. And we don’t have ‘nationalism’. We do have patriotism, but it isn’t as deep as nationalism. I fear that crazy leaders will use the economy to empower themselves or worse.

      Regarding the current conditions: Yes Spain isn’t the bargain it once was. But there is so much that I do enjoy – the pace of life, the food, the friends I have made here, and of course, the beauty of some of the cities.

      Barcelona has seen many changes over the centuries and still thrives. I’m guessing that while this global economic meltdown is devastating for many of us, it is a meer ‘blip’ for this grand city.

    • #105387
      katy
      Blocked

      Does not a legal gay marriage in the USA allow you to bring in your partner like a hetrosexual marriage?

      Would have thought Turkey would not be gay friendly being islamists. I couldn’t live in Turkey if the streets were paved in gold!

      I would think the obvious reason for not relocating to Spain is the lack of jobs. Even if there were jobs it is difficult to enter the job market without considerable language skills.

    • #105390
      GarySFBCN
      Participant

      There is no legal same-sex marriage in the US. A handful of States allow it but there are no Federal rights (such as immigration rights) provided. Our president is playing both sides – saying that he is against same-sex marriage for religious reasons at the same time he seems to be supporting same-sex marriage.

      Due to savings and some other income, I probably do not have to work in Spain, and if I do need extra income, I can consult in the States. I learn languages pretty quickly, and I am now almost fluent in conversational Spanish and getting there with ‘legal’ and ‘real estate’ Spanish. Pronunciation is another story. I will need a tongue transplant before I will be able to twirl my R’s.

      Turkey, like the US, is full of contrasts, and both are, at times, held hostage by religious extremists. (The Republican party in the US will eventually split into two parties – the Chrisitian right and the more libertarian conservatives – if they cannot resolve their differences).

      But after several visits to Turkey, I’ve never had any problems at all. It is a secular country dominated by Islam. But just as Christianity has many varities, so does Islam. And we tend to only hear about the extremists. Turkey is stunningly beautiful, full of culture and history, good food and wonderful people. You may want to visit sometime.

    • #105391
      katy
      Blocked

      I have been to Turkey, Bodrum and Istanbul. Ok for a holiday 🙂

    • #105409
      Anonymous
      Participant

      We retired from England to the lower mainland, British Columbia, Canada, nine years ago and it’s basically been p*****g down for most of the time. OK, we do get hot albeit short summers and rare snow in the winter here, but eight to nine months of rain have finished us off.

      Lots of other reasons – too many to mention here, but Spain beckons as we have visited many times and at least we can hop back to England more often and enjoy what retirement time we have left. NEED SOME FUN guys! It’s SO boring here!

    • #105410
      katy
      Blocked

      British Columbia is awsome, don’t think I would like to live there either though 🙂 Beware that Spain had almost 5 or 6 months of heavy rain the last 2 years and the houses aren’t as warm as Canada.

    • #105417
      Chopera
      Participant

      @GarySFBCN wrote:

      In my case, it is simple: I’m a US Citizen, gay and married to a Spanish man. We tried to have him legally immigrate to the US but it is nearly impossible. Due to Spain’s progressive laws regarding same-sex marriage, we can legally live together in Spain. We are legally married in California and in Spain.

      Ideally, I would have waited until age 62 to retire to have sufficient funds to live a very comfortable life, but life is too short to wait. I had planned on retiring in San Francisco and opening a social media consulting business that provides services while mentoring smart kids who may be somewhat ‘in trouble but salvageable’ and who lack job skills. But the US will lose this potential tax revenue and employment opportunitiy for difficult kids because of their homophobic laws.

      So I am making the move – ever so slowly. I do believe that I can still make it work financially, without working. But I am fairly marketable so I should be able to find short-term consulting gigs in Spain or the US to carry me over until US Social Security kicks-in. I can always let go of the flat in San Francisco, if I need to.

      Funny that you mention Turkey, I love the southern coast and could easiliy live there.

      The current economic conditions concern me in, but what is of more concern to me is the easily-exploited nationalism I see throughout Europe. While we in the US have had our share of despicable leaders, causing many problems in the world, we have not approaced ‘dictatorship’ that has been seen in several countries in Europe during the last century. My theory is that there are too many ‘nutcases’ with guns in the US for that to happen. And we don’t have ‘nationalism’. We do have patriotism, but it isn’t as deep as nationalism. I fear that crazy leaders will use the economy to empower themselves or worse.

      Regarding the current conditions: Yes Spain isn’t the bargain it once was. But there is so much that I do enjoy – the pace of life, the food, the friends I have made here, and of course, the beauty of some of the cities.

      Barcelona has seen many changes over the centuries and still thrives. I’m guessing that while this global economic meltdown is devastating for many of us, it is a meer ‘blip’ for this grand city.

      Gary I think there are various forms of nationalism, but the one I think you are referring to often arises when times are hard and those suffering look for someone to take their frustration out on, such as immigrants or another minority group that is perceived to be both “alien” and diverting much needed resources from the “natives”.

      Now I’m no expert on US history, but my feeling is that even when times were hard in the US (such as the 1930s depression) there wasn’t a sufficiently large and clear distinction between “natives” and “immigrants” that would have allowed one group to gang up on the other on a national scale (at least not to the extent we saw in some European countries). Basically the US at that time was a country of immgrants, or pockets of immgrants (Irish, Italian, Jewish, etc) and while there might have been friction between those groups, none of them was in a position to form a controlling tyranny across the entire USA. The USA was simply too big and diverse.

    • #105420
      GarySFBCN
      Participant

      The USA was simply too big and diverse.

      And that diversity has been our model for economic success. Regardless of what politicians say, the fact that people, for a few centuries now, have been willing to die to get to the US just so they can work, and often bringing with them specialized knowledge (even a peasant farmer may know how to tie a better, more useful, knot), combined with favorable government policies have resulted in some incredible economic successes. But we now have leaders who want to exploit these same ‘immigrants’, saying that they are destroying the country, knowing full well that if they were to focus their law-enforcement efforts upon large employers of ‘illegals’ and not upon the illegal immigrants themselves, the ‘problem’ would disappear. No jobs, no immigrants.

      But regarding nationalism, we in the US also do not have centuries-old traditions to draw upon (which is both a blessing and a curse) that also feed nationalism. We do not talk disparagingly about the English, the Spanish, the French (ok, maybe we do about the French, but not because of history). We have a lot of perceptions resulting in admiration for many groups, such as the Germans for their ingenuity, the Italians for their way of life and the Irish for their beer, etc. I don’t see that same type of ‘fondness’ for other European countries within Europe.

      As a country, we are geographically and geo-politically ignorant, but we are not unkind. Sometimes our ‘individualism’ is mistaken as being mean, and it is also our Achilles heel, easily exploitable by our more-despicable leaders.

      Regardless, I’m looking forward to living part or full-time in Europe. I’m need a break from being ‘individualist.’

    • #105422
      Chopera
      Participant

      @GarySFBCN wrote:

      But regarding nationalism, we in the US also do not have centuries-old traditions to draw upon (which is both a blessing and a curse) that also feed nationalism. We do not talk disparagingly about the English, the Spanish, the French (ok, maybe we do about the French, but not because of history). We have a lot of perceptions resulting in admiration for many groups, such as the Germans for their ingenuity, the Italians for their way of life and the Irish for their beer, etc. I don’t see that same type of ‘fondness’ for other European countries within Europe.

      As a country, we are geographically and geo-politically ignorant, but we are not unkind. Sometimes our ‘individualism’ is mistaken as being mean, and it is also our Achilles heel, easily exploitable by our more-despicable leaders.

      Regardless, I’m looking forward to living part or full-time in Europe. I’m need a break from being ‘individualist.’

      These days while most western Europeans might take digs at each other (and anyone else) we get on pretty well underneath. We have quite thick skins I guess and are used to having the odd spat with our neighbours. However I thought we were talking about the nationalism that occured in Europe back in the first half of the 19th century. You seem to imply that that type of nationalism is widespread throughout Europe right now. While you will always find isolated pockets of extreme nationalism (fascism) in many countries (including the US) this is currently limited to being an annoyance rather than a significant movement.

    • #105573
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      We are currently retired splitting our time between Canada ( W Coast) and Mexico, where it is very hot and extremely humid at this time of year. We have our casa in Mexico up for sale and Spain is very appealing to us as the architecture is very similar and the language is the same. However Spain is so close to all the countries of Europe with their varied histories and cultures. Africa is across the straights. Whilst there are bargains galore to be had in the US real estate market, the houses, as they are in the UK are built to a code that results in the houses have a uniform look to them. The currency concerns in Spain are worrying and we are waiting until the elections are over next year before we purchase. How developers could get away with building unauthorized homes the way they did, in such numbers speaks volumes as to the indifference of the spanish civil service.
      However Spain still has great weather, good food , exciting architecture and access to the rest of europe, something that residents from across the pond do not have so readily.

    • #105989
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Despite the pitfuls everyone is having in Spain with over builds, under completed properties and the screw up with the global economy and not forgetting the back handers the local councils took for granting developers the right to build where they wanted, Spain still looks OK.

      It wasn’t so long ago that we were having riots on our streets in the UK and every day I read that someone has been killed, mugged, raped or some other crazy crime, so the troubles in Sapin are not new to any of us, so you ask, “what’s so special about Spain”?

      I guess it’s always going to be the weather for most of us and secondly the ease of coming and going cheaply.
      Turkey is a real good alternative but you wouldn’t want to drive it and also the flights are not as cheap.

      I am going to retire to Spain purely for the weather and location to the UK, A SHORT FLIGHT TIME, MOST SPEAK ENGLISH AT RESORTS, A DAY’S DRIVE, AND LOVELY PEOPLE (not all, but most in general)……..But there’s always Portugal….Mmmmmmm LOL

    • #106189
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Despite the pitfuls everyone is having in Spain with over builds, under completed properties and the screw up with the global economy and not forgetting the back handers the local councils took for granting developers the right to build where they wanted, Spain still looks OK.

      It wasn’t so long ago that we were having riots on our streets in the UK and every day I read that someone has been killed, mugged, raped or some other crazy crime, so the troubles in Sapin are not new to any of us, so you ask, “what’s so special about Spain”?

      I guess it’s always going to be the weather for most of us and secondly the ease of coming and going cheaply.
      Turkey is a real good alternative but you wouldn’t want to drive it and also the flights are not as cheap.

      I am going to retire to Spain purely for the weather and location to the UK, A SHORT FLIGHT TIME, MOST SPEAK ENGLISH AT RESORTS, A DAY’S DRIVE, AND LOVELY PEOPLE (not all, but most in general)……..But there’s always Portugal….Mmmmmmm LOL

    • #107373
      Anonymous
      Participant

      hi
      well for us its got to be the weather to start with, the more relaxed lifestyle, but this won’t be happening till the end of next year, then feet up and relax 😀

    • #107390
      DBMarcos99
      Participant

      @wencra wrote:

      hi
      well for us its got to be the weather to start with, the more relaxed lifestyle, but this won’t be happening till the end of next year, then feet up and relax 😀

      Yes, I think the climate is a big factor for many people. For instance, currently in the UK it doesn’t really seem to get fully bright – often it’s grey overcast, and starting to get dark at 2.30 in the afternoon! Of course if you head for the interior of Spain or go to altitude, it’s just as cold, but you still see more sunshine.
      I’m a bit apprehensive about “more relaxed lifestyle” as people generally compare a busy city with a small village or resort. Does having local shops close between 3 and 6 count as a blessing??? But yes, it’s great to head for lunch at 1.45 and not be scared the pub kitchen is closed (as is often the case in the UK) or to take your time over a meal without the restaurant staff hovering and trying to force you out for the next sitting.
      For me Spain is still great value compared to the UK. Yes, internet can cost, and electricity isn’t cheap in either country. But where I am in London a beer (yes even the bottled variety) or a glass of wine will cost around £4. The tube is horrendously expensive, and so are accommodation costs. Even if you compare to Madrid (where housing is still not cheap) it’s still a lot cheaper than the UK capital. The one worry will be whether health care will cost more in the future. I suspect it will, and in both countries.

    • #107461
      Anonymous
      Participant

      @GarySFBCN wrote:

      In my case, it is simple: I’m a US Citizen, gay and married to a Spanish man. We tried to have him legally immigrate to the US but it is nearly impossible. Due to Spain’s progressive laws regarding same-sex marriage, we can legally live together in Spain. We are legally married in California and in Spain.

      Ideally, I would have waited until age 62 to retire to have sufficient funds to live a very comfortable life, but life is too short to wait. I had planned on retiring in San Francisco and opening a social media consulting business that provides services while mentoring smart kids who may be somewhat ‘in trouble but salvageable’ and who lack job skills. But the US will lose this potential tax revenue and employment opportunitiy for difficult kids because of their homophobic laws.

      So I am making the move – ever so slowly. I do believe that I can still make it work financially, without working. But I am fairly marketable so I should be able to find short-term consulting gigs in Spain or the US to carry me over until US Social Security kicks-in. I can always let go of the flat in San Francisco, if I need to.

      Funny that you mention Turkey, I love the southern coast and could easiliy live there.

      The current economic conditions concern me in, but what is of more concern to me is the easily-exploited nationalism I see throughout Europe. While we in the US have had our share of despicable leaders, causing many problems in the world, we have not approaced ‘dictatorship’ that has been seen in several countries in Europe during the last century. My theory is that there are too many ‘nutcases’ with guns in the US for that to happen. And we don’t have ‘nationalism’. We do have patriotism, but it isn’t as deep as nationalism. I fear that crazy leaders will use the economy to empower themselves or worse.

      Regarding the current conditions: Yes Spain isn’t the bargain it once was. But there is so much that I do enjoy – the pace of life, the food, the friends I have made here, and of course, the beauty of some of the cities.

      Barcelona has seen many changes over the centuries and still thrives. I’m guessing that while this global economic meltdown is devastating for many of us, it is a meer ‘blip’ for this grand city.

      I heard on the news that Spain was about to tear up “gay marriages” not sure if there was any truth to that though. Apparently one of Rayojos or whatever the puppets name is promised it before the election.

    • #107462
      logan
      Participant

      Rajoy is a social conservative along the lines of the current US Republican Party candidates. Listening to some of their speeches makes any Liberal cringe. Some of them are creationists and still reject Darwin for example. 😯
      Spain is bound to change in the future under Rajoy and I will bet gay marriage is near the top of a hit list.

    • #107465
      GarySFBCN
      Participant

      I heard on the news that Spain was about to tear up “gay marriages” not sure if there was any truth to that though. Apparently one of Rayojos or whatever the puppets name is promised it before the election.

      I’m not worried. The majority of Spaniards (more than 66%) supported same-sex marriage when it was originally passed. The percent supporting has probably grown. If by chance Rajoy puts forth a serious effort to eliminate same-sex marriage, I think that all hell will break loose.

      First, PP didn’t win the election, PSOE lost. It is not like PP has the mandate that they think they have. Second, Rajoy knows better. While eliminating same-sex marriage is good for his hard-core base of Opus Dei fascists, it is a losing issue for the majority of Spanish voters. A few years back, Rajoy said that eliminating same-sex marriage was a lost cause. It is now in the news because the Vatican is making another push to show how much they hate gays. Spain is not the only place we see the fruits of their efforts. They are out of control here in the US, comparing gays to the KKK, Nazis, etc. Ironically, this is being organized by the Vatican, the largest organized international child molesting group on the planet.

      There have been more than a million same-sex marriage in Spain since 2006. Each marriage is a ‘contract’ and many contracts have been built upon that original contract (home purchases, businesses opened, etc.) and all of those contracts will have to ‘undone’ if same-sex marriage is eliminated. The courts will be clogged with these types of cases for a decade. Simply put, Spain cannot afford to eliminate same-sex marriage.

      For me, if Spain begins moving toward a Francoesque governance, I wouldn’t want to continue live here anyway, legal marriage or no. And I’m guessing we are going to see Catalunya turn into a ‘whipping boy’ for Rajoy, and that is just another step on the way to Franco’s Spain.

      Rajoy won because of the economy. If he pursues a radical social agenda, he will not win another term.

    • #107468
      Anonymous
      Participant

      I think the changes if they occur, will be to arrange a legal fudge. From the point of view of the Spanish legal system is a bad law, the “Consejo de Estado”, which has a mandate to reporting laws before submission to the Parliament to approve them, issued a report saying that the changes needed to approve the actual law must be done otherwise, but Govermment ignored this report.

      Probably, if the new Govermment will decide to change this law, (and others like Civil Code whose changed with the actual law), I´m sure that them will not affect the rights with origin in the shared live of the two persons, which is truly the important.

      I have no a crystal ball so it´s only my own opinion, but i think that may change the name of “marriage” by another name already existed previously to law, for the registration of same-sex couples in some municipal registries or another non essential aspects, but not the main rights.

      There is no intended to change the way of spanish society see same-sex couples so, it is not an homophobic trouble. But again, this is just mi opinion.

    • #107470
      katy
      Blocked
    • #107471
      logan
      Participant

      As the article points out it’s a generational thing. As everywhere else cultural change comes as the generations change and become more aware, better educated and as a consequence more tolerant.
      The Spanish people in my experience are incredibly tolerant of difference, try living in France. They still hate the English for defeating them at Waterloo. 🙂

    • #107584
      Chopera
      Participant

      To me it’s interesting that Rajoy appointed Gallardon as Minister for Justice. Gallardon was previously Mayor of Madrid for 8 years and was much more of a liberal conservative – he not only supported gay marriage but publicly attended gay weddings. He also did subtle things like remove religious symbols from Madrid’s Christmas decorations and generally tried to make the city more culturally integrated. He ruffled a lot of feathers on the staunch traditionalist/catholic side of the PP – and was prepared to fall out with powerful traditionalists like Esperanza Aguirre (the Mayor of the Madrid Autonoma). The fact that Rajoy appointed Gallardon indicates to me that he wants to take the PP down a more liberal route.

    • #107587
      katy
      Blocked

      Going back to the thread title…Why Relocate to Spain” I often wonder why many of the main defenders of Spain on here don’t do it 😕

    • #107592
      Anonymous
      Participant

      The weather is for sure the main reason. We have lived outside of the UK for 12 years and do not wish to return. Having owned a property in Estepona from 1990 to 1999 we have a certain attachment to the area. We are looking for a suitable property but feel the prices in some areas still have a way to go before they approach reality. So we will sit it out for 2012 and see what happens. Otherwise a long term rental seems the prudent way to go.

    • #107804
      Anonymous
      Participant

      here is my reason and my plan

      I will be retiring in 6 month. I already planned to do 6 month in Marbella, 6 month in Florida.

      I have been vacationing in the Costa Del Sol for the past 6 years. I love it.
      I love the Fiestas, good food, great atmosphere. and Places to visit.
      I love Flamenco music and dance, and definitely Paella, Tapas and all the variety of Fish.
      I already made a bunch of friends during my travel in the Costa.

      I am so looking to retire to enjoy it all.

    • #107805
      logan
      Participant

      @katy wrote:

      Going back to the thread title…Why Relocate to Spain” I often wonder why many of the main defenders of Spain on here don’t do it 😕

      Probably for economic reasons Katy. In my case I prefer France for cultural reasons, high life quality, and the personal space living in rural France provides.
      Spain is a great country for those who enjoy vibrancy and an active social life like the last poster bentdavi. In the end it’s horses for courses but the poor economic circumstances currently prevailing in Spain need to be seriously considered before moving if you don’t have independent means.

    • #107840
      Chopera
      Participant

      @logan wrote:

      @katy wrote:

      Going back to the thread title…Why Relocate to Spain” I often wonder why many of the main defenders of Spain on here don’t do it 😕

      Probably for economic reasons Katy. In my case I prefer France for cultural reasons, high life quality, and the personal space living in rural France provides.
      Spain is a great country for those who enjoy vibrancy and an active social life like the last poster bentdavi. In the end it’s horses for courses but the poor economic circumstances currently prevailing in Spain need to be seriously considered before moving if you don’t have independent means.

      Yes I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. If you like the rural (or just semi-rural) life then France does have quite a few advantages over Spain. If you like the city/social life then Barcelona and Madrid have more to offer, although if you need to earn a living in Spain most people are somewhat restricted to living in one of those two cities.

    • #107844
      katy
      Blocked

      I love France, the villages and a lot of towns remain unspoilt and didn’t get wrecked like the spanish boom. Food is fab. One problem is that the French do not like the English…thinking about it neither do the spanish :mrgreen:

      The word relocate means to me a nice financial package where your company, or one equally as good pays all the moving costs and gives assistance….not moving to a country with a 23% unemployment rate.

    • #107845
      logan
      Participant

      The French dislike or rather are suspicious of anyone who is not French. It’s part of their national culture to believe they are a superior nation. I think that’s amusing and not in the least intimidating. It’s a wonderful country in which to live but don’t try earning a living there. That is even harder than Spain.

    • #107851
      Anonymous
      Participant

      I lived in France, I am also a French citizen, left France in 1967 for the US. Now own both citizenship.
      France has changed a lot.
      I agree , Parisian do think God created Paris and stopped. The rest just happened.
      However , in the smaller towns and cities, they are very gracious and nice. Mostly in the countryside.
      I also agree , there is some great food, but not everywhere, you have to find the good places to eat.

      I go every year to visit my family, before heading to Marbella that I love.

    • #108380
      Anonymous
      Participant

      I chose the Canaries rather than Spain itself. This because I wanted a permanent winter haven and the temperatures are above those in Spain and the stronger African sun. Admittedly since being there we have had one unusually wet winter last year and this year the coldest (Feb in particular) in 70 years. However I was still sea bathing until January 20th and resumed on 20th March.So it wasn’t bad and much better than Spain. Hopefully next winter will be more normal. I find the cost of living comparable or cheaper than the UK at current exchange rates. If you buy property there are one or two estate agents to avoid -if you go to an area check out locally that the one you have is OK but better buy from the Spanish. If you do buy with an agent never give them much if any deposit and make sure you get a Contrato de Compravent with the vendor before you go to the notaqry. Some agents will try to get one price from you and then get a lower price from the vendor with a Contract of mediation where they can keep the difference and pocket the money above their normal commission.Being over 65 I have sometimes thought that the long term disadvantage is always having to fly -unless you use an expensive cruise boat -or train to Cadiz and use the expensive boat from there. However with the lousy April in UK I might one day settle for being expat but the Spanish are currently doing nothing fiscally to help -in fact the fiscal issues are a distinct disincentive that some time the Government will have to address if retirees in UK are to be tempted back.

    • #103041
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Ptr, what fiscal disincentives in particular are you talking about? I have given the issue much thought so I’d like to know what the main problems are.

    • #103197
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Ptr, what fiscal disincentives in particular are you talking about? I have given the issue much thought so I’d like to know what the main problems are.

    • #108391
      Anonymous
      Participant

      I have posted Mark about some aspects of this in relation to personal taxation for over 65’s- personal allowances-tax rates on pensions and dividends inheritence tax in my last post in thread Residente/No residente.I am of the opinion that it is less disadvantageous to a younger person because of the higher tax allowance for working people in employment.If you see this as too severe perhaps you can point out any fiscal advantages I have overlooked please.

    • #111133
      katy
      Blocked

      Whether the weather is good 😆

    • #111604
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Hi. I just joined this forum.

      I still live in The Netherlands but plan to move as soon as I can. In my case it is/was work and romance related. I worked as a project manager for a large American IT company (not a technical job). I worked 70 to 80 hours a week (including weekends) in a very stressful job. To sometimes get away from that I went on vacation a lot to Gran Canaria (because of the weather). Playa del Ingles is not a very attractive place. Just hotels, apartments and bungalow resorts. But I like it and the weather is usually great all year around. I then became romantically involved with a Playa del Ingles resident. In the meantime at work a management change meant I could work from home. I only needed a laptop, phone and internet connection. Soon the thought came up that I might as well work from GC instead of from my home office in Holland. Management was OK and I started a relocation request. However, soon after that there was a rumour that the organisation I worked for would be transferring jobs to eastern Europe to cut costs. Wether my job was at risk was unsure but very likely. So I stopped the relocation request. I didn’t want to run the risk of selling my place and relocate only to hear I was fired. After six months I was told I was to be made redundant nine months later, which was earlier this year. Then I started thinking about my future. In my early fifties, too young to retire, but it would also be very difficult to find a new job in Holland at my age. I didn’t really like Holland anymore anyway. It is no longer the tolerant country it used to be. Xenophobia seems to rule and the country seems to be full of hate and anger. Friends moved away following their jobs or are too busy working and raising their children. No family to speak of. I had more friends in GC than at home. Being without a job would be the best time to move to GC if I ever was going to take the plunge. So I decided to relocate Gran Canaria anyway. The sale of my apartment and the severance package from the company will hopefully support me financially for the first few years while I learn the language and set up my own business (with friends) and do something completely different (my job skills won’t help me much in GC as a non-native speaker). Languages are my original background so I hope to learn Spanish quickly. Playa del Ingles has the advantage that you can get away with English or German when you don’t speak the language yet.

      The romance is over unfortunately and it is a big risk to move, certainly in these times and specifically the situation Spain is in. Also now is not a good time to sell in Holland (like everywhere else). But as soon as I can find a buyer for my place in Holland I am on that plane to start a new life under the sun and close to the sea.

    • #111615
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Good luck with it all and please RENT FIRST to see if you are really happy with your move.

    • #111617
      Anonymous
      Participant

      The positive side of being a pensioneer at least from Sweden and moving to Spain is that after a few years you can sell your funds/stocks without basicly any taxes. This is at least the idea and I’m not sure if it only concerns people from Sweden.

    • #111620
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Thank you itsme!

      Ardun, I cannot afford to retire unfortunately 😉 But I am sure I will find a way to finance my stay until I get there! “Only” 15 more years to go……

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