The France Show by Kelly Roberts

Despite the protestations of expats in the Netherlands, expat financial advisers and business leaders, the Dutch cabinet recently announced that it would proceed with plans to reduce the favourable 30% expat ruling from eight to five years.

However, there will now be a transitional period for certain expatriates, meaning they will have time to consult their expat financial advisers in the Netherlands to take the necessary tax planning steps to adjust to the new landscape. Nevertheless, there are still a number of consequences associated with changes to the 30% tax break that need to be explored. Here we will attempt to bring some clarity to those who may be affected by the new rules.

As we hurtle towards the EU referendum and are being deluged with information about the whys and wherefores of Brexit or Bremain, Blacktower takes a look at what matters to us: the UK expats whose futures, whatever the outcome of the vote, are very much determined by the quality of their expat financial advice.

Just how many British expats are there in Europe?

Well, data published by the Office of National Statistics shows – although not completely reliably, we feel – that there are around 1.2 million British expats within the EU (some estimates put this figure as high as 2 million).

The vast majority of these live in tried, tested and sun-drenched destinations such as Spain and France. But before you start thinking that expats just move away purely in search of a sunnier climate, think again; the third most popular destination is Ireland (150 days of rainfall a year compared to the UK’s 133).