Petition to abolish “unfair” expat retirement transfer tax takes shape
As it stands, its been nearly a year that expat retirement transfers of pensions have incurred a charge when moving to or between Qualifying Recognised Offshore Pension Schemes (QROPS), with only expats living within the European Union or a select group of 13 other countries immune to this charge.
However, British expats across the world have recently joined forces to question the fairness of the charge and to lobby parliament for its removal.
It's easy to see why they have taken this course of action – the charge for overseas expat retirement transfers comes in at 25% of the value of the pension fund; plainly a crippling and punitive amount for people who have already worked hard and paid their taxes in order to prudently fund their retirement.
Could the UK’s state pension fund run out in 14 years?
The defined benefit scheme – whereby the employer promises the employee a specified payment upon retirement, the amount of which is calculated based on several factors including the years the contributor has been in the scheme, their age, and their salary at retirement – is no longer viable in today's world.
Recently, the high-profile collapse of the construction firm Carillion has served as yet another example of why this is the case.
The collapse means that, just like in the heavily reported case of retail giant BHS, thousands of employees are likely to have their carefully laid out retirement plans affected. Now that the company has gone into liquidation, it cannot afford to pay employees their expected pension amount, leading to yet another sizeable pensions black hole with a deficit of around £580 million (although the BBC reports that the final figure could be as high as £900 million).
Keeping the NHR Tax Regime Could Be Good for Portugal in 2018
In September 2017, it was announced that the Portuguese Government, following pressure from Sweden and a number of other European countries, was looking to water down the country's non-habitual residency (NHR) tax regime, potentially bringing to an end a programme that has worked in the interests of expats since 2009. The uncertainty this proposed move provoked certainly threatened to put a dampener on the financial plans of quite a number of expats and would-be expats as they moved into 2018.
However, the budget proposal presented by the Portuguese government in November seemed to allay these fears. There was not a single mention of the scheme, which would have seen the introduction of a flat rate of tax of either 5% or 10% on income drawn from the pensions of NHRs.
In all probability any such move would have seen the pensions of existing expat NHRs unaffected; however, it would have presented a significant stumbling block to the retirement plans of many looking to move both their wealth and their residence status to the country.
The advantages of buying a Spanish property in 2018
Buying property, whether in the UK or abroad, is rarely straightforward, so it's important to find out which countries and regions will suit you best and to look into property prices so that you can be as certain as possible that you're making a good investment.
Luckily, there's a lot of information out there, and according to current reporting, it seems as though now may be the perfect time to buy property in Spain.
Several property industry commentators are, once again, urging those who have been hesitant about moving abroad, to do so now because the favourable property market has turned Spanish houses into a worthwhile investment.
Food for expat thought: Takeaway anyone?
What do you miss most as an expat?
Of course, there will be no shortage of new experiences available to you in your expat environment, especially if you are moving overseas to retire, but sometimes, it's the smallest things that might bring a lump to your throat…or a rumble to your stomach, maybe.
Perhaps this was the case for one group of British expats who chartered a plane to fly in a large delivery from their favourite curry house in Portsmouth.
James Emery, an aviation assessor for trainee pilots in France, piloted the small aircraft which flew 89 meals from Solent Airport all the way to Bordeaux.
"I'm a chilli addict, "he said, "and an aviation geek, so I thought I would combine my two hobbies to get my favourite meal to me in France."
Financial changes in France for 2018
January 2018 will see the French government introduce several legislative, tax and other financial changes, some of which will be of interest to British expats living in France. First and foremost is the change to the wealth tax – also known as the Impôt de Solidarité sur la Fortune (ISF – or the "solidarity tax on wealth"). We touched on the topic last year when discussing the number of French job opportunities rapidly increasing.
The country's president, Emmanuel Macron, who was elected in May 2017, has introduced the change as part of a push to attract more wealthy investors to France. The change is just one of many in what he called a "profound transformation of France" in his new year's address.
Being multi-lingual is a much sought-after and important skill
If you've moved abroad to live as an expat, have you attempted to learn the language? If you do decide to make the effort, then you'll be learning an extremely valuable skill, one that, as recent research has shown, many Britons are intent on achieving.
In fact, a new poll has suggested that one in five are planning to pick up a new language in 2018.
The survey was conducted by the British Council, the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, which questioned 2,109 UK adults. The British Council is hoping that more Brits pick up a second language because it will help the UK to remain "globally competitive post-Brexit", according to British Council schools advisor Vicky Gough.
New Year resolutions for a fitter financial future
Well, you have probably already swept away the party poppers and Champagne corks, but now is the time to reflect on 2017 and consider the future.
It's also, of course, the time to make New Year resolutions. For most people, such 'resolutions' are often ambitious, unrealistic and maybe even harmful (I mean, giving up chocolate – that's never going to happen).
In fact, research from the University of Scranton, USA, in 2013 found that a mere 8% of people achieve their New Year goals, and a ComRes poll from November 2015 revealed that 43% of all the failed resolutions that year hadn't even lasted a month.
It seems that the typical pledges of eating more healthily, taking up a new hobby and giving up bad habits are really not achievable and it's becoming increasingly common for resolutions to be financially related.