Is living in Spain really that bad now???

Or sickness pay David. You work even if you're dying!!

Dear All,

I am no authority but understand and believe that Vicci knows what she is doing and has made all the necessary enquiries before making her life-changing decision.

David - you must not worry if the worst happens you will be well taken care of, you will get all the help you need in filling in the forms, the fullest possible assistance in any language you choose. Though you must be careful of the nest egg you have built up from all those thirty years of tax allowances - it would be best if you pass it on now before there is any question of inheritance tax. Though Mr Cameron may be able to help. I hope you have been declaring more than 25%.

Floella - diatribe - most unfair you have not identified a single inaccuracy or exaggeration - shame on you.

Regards

Norman

Norman

Declaring more than 25%

As i understand from you it's only the Spanish that declare only 25% of earnings

So surely i MUST  be declaring 100% as i'm British and work in the UK!!

Oh yes and pay taxes after bona fide allowances. i understand that they operate that system in Spain also.

As for form filling if you integrate into a country top of your list MUST be learning the language and hey presto you can fill your own form in.

So there's inheritance tax in the UK as well!!, i wonder how that works for non-residents with UK assets?

Dear All,

glory, glory, the wonderful unvarnished truth, what makes the forum worthwhile, and of course what gives people real information to make judgements on.

Sorry Norman

this just goes to prove yet again your ignorance as to how the majority of expats live their lives.

you are glorying in information given by someone who has no real knowledge of living in Spain

you trawl through these forums looking for bad news to justify your bitterness.

and grasping onto any ignorant ill informed person who posts bad news.

as i have told you before a little more research on your behalf before you parted with

your money and you would be enjoying the lifestyle.

the problems your new found friend (camposol) identifies are faced by us all as we approach old age

i have lived here for almost 11 years and have never met anybody who comes close to his description.

we all pay our taxes and have adequate cover for health care.  

the extra years we gain from the wonderful climate will be well worth it.

Dear All,

personally I paid a lifetime of PAYE before I discovered the amazing difference to nett pay the self-employed enjoyed from the legitimate allowances their highly paid accountants gained for them.

Clearly had I had thirty years of this bounty I too could afford to live the good life in Spain or anywhere else should I so desire.

The forum, not I, produced the black economy information on what the self-employed declare, all described as acceptable corruption similar to the under the table payments on property purchase.

Clearly Vicci, and all the others are not returning for no reason, so what is the point in comparing their position with someone who has the means to be comfortable anywhere at all with no regard to the exchange rate.

Good luck to anyone who can weather the storm without assistance from the system but the message is still clear the system here is more generous.

Spin as much as you like but the returnees are not doing it for fun.

Regards

Norman

I have tried to avoid replying on this thread as I do not, yet, live in Spain.  However, I have been visiting for over 15 years (and have owned property there for 9 years).  I have also lived in other countries (notably Cyprus for 15 years altogether) .

But , can normansands please explain how, when there are dozens of posts that say how much people enjoy their life in Spain, how much they have fitted in and would never go back to UK, one poster comes on and slags the place off and all of a sudden this is the unalloyed truth?  Are all the other posters making things up simply to annoy you?  Do they all have rose tinted glasses except the one poster who (glory, glory), gives the unvarnished truth? 

We all know that you have been treated badly somewhere along the line.  We all sympathise (or used to) with your plight.  We all know that some areas have had property built which shouldn't have been and we have the greatest empathy with those poor people who have been royally screwed by crooked lawyers/mayors/builders.  But there are hundreds of thousands who haven't.  The problems with my first place was the builders went bust.  It got sorted.  My second place is marvellous, great builder, great lawyer, no problems.  Sorry to disappoint you but it was, and is, a really great place in a great area to live.  Well built (it even has earth wiring to the plumbing and air vent bricks, a damp course and sound proofing, believe it or not) comfortable and remains warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  I have lovely neighbours of many different nationalities with whom I get on with extremely well. 

And for camposol.  Do you really think we are all so stupid that we don't know about the things you mentioned?  Do you really think we up sticks to go to another country (and going to Spain from UK is not exactly the most intrepid and adventurous move you can make, is it?  Maybe Australia or Outer Mongolia but, come on, it's only a 2 hour flight away) without checking on a few things? 

Sorry, folks.  I am not going to put on the hair shirt and flagellate myself whilst walking across bare coals just so that I can feel some of your angst.  I really do feel sorry for those who have been conned, just as I feel sorry for those in UK who lose their homes because they need looking after in a care home, or those who have bought Barrett homes just outside Cheltenham which are slowly sinking and have cracks appearing in the walls but the company has washed their hands of it and said let your insurers sort it out.  And for the 40,000 families who had their homes repossessed in UK last year due to the governments mishandling of the economy.  But I can't send a donation to every one of them, nor can I light a candle for them or blame myself for not having my home repossessed.  I'm sorry if I have enough worries in my own life without taking on all the problems in the world and blaming myself for the things that have gone wrong. 

But, of course, you won't believe me.  You'll say I am wearing the wrong shade of glasses or am too busy sipping my glass of vino and puffing on my cheap cigarette (10 years since I gave them up, by the way, and they ain't exactly cheap in Spain any more) to realise that I'm living in a dream world.  Well, it's my dream world.  I've given up dreaming of winning the lottery so at least let me have my last little ray of hope in an increasingly hopeless world.

Just excellent!     Bobaol.

  Well said Bobaol,

Brilliant Post.

I love Spain wished I was there now in our apartment.  But waiting to get Roy's cataract's done seems to be taking forever.

I have avoided this thread as well as cannot understand some of the comment's. I know a lot of people have had a raw deal and I really feel sorry for them. Because it could have been us, but we were fine so you get on with your life.

Norman I would love to know where all these benefit's come from as we do not receive any.    I have a grandaughter who has two children her husband was made redundant and did not receive a penny from the government, luckily he is back at work now.

I think what I am trying to say is everyone chooses there path in life and that is up to them.  So do not keep ridiculing people's chosen lifestyle. 

Dear All,

I enjoyed the positive but irrelevant post and hope the proposed move is a success.

But all the stories and good wishes will not put a single crust in the baby's mouth.

If families have to return to survive, even when they assure you how reluctant they are, how can you possibly deny them.

There is no sense in it.

It is just as meaningless as the constant ranting on about the myth that I am bitter and twisted etc, just plain stupid.

I wish no one would have to return and hope the good times come back soon.

Meanwhile if you can afford it - enjoy it - but why do you have to boost that enjoyment constantly with "positives".

Is that itself not a sign of insecurity???????

It also seems odd that anyone should "love to learn about benefits" they don't actually need????

Regards

Norman

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_24834.shtml  It's really that bad now for some people.

Poppyseed

very true, poor things.  Sadly though, some on here prefer to close their eyes to it and just say   ''it's just a small amount, most of us are happy.''......Selfish almost beyond belief!

 Thankfully - it is a VERY small amount in real t erms and even smaller if taken as a percentage of the total of purchasers.  Of course terrible for those involved, but wearing a hair shirt is not going to help.  I read an article in the Times last week about British people in Cyprus having to give their land back to people who were displaced when the Turks invaded - ALSO terrible, but thankfully most people are not in that situation in Cyprus.   Or do we not wear the hair shirt for them as the land was stolen in the first place???  Seems pretty terrible to me.   

" very true, poor things.  Sadly though, some on here prefer to close their eyes to it and just say   ''it's just a small amount, most of us are happy.''......Selfish almost beyond belief!"

Hi Goodstich,

Can you remember when i commented on Northampton and how rough it was now..? (coming from there myself)

If i remeber correctly you stated that it was only the city centre and rough areas around the town that suffered the violence and crime.

I think you said it was completely different "in your village"!! as if it was ok because YOU didn't have to suffer it.

WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT TO US IGNORING YOU TO YOU IGNORING THE PROBLEM ON YOUR DOORSTEP???????

This smacks of double standards,don't you think?????

We are all supposed to feel sorry for a middle aged businessman who lives in an up market village in a nice house and who had the privilige to be able to splash 60k-70k on a investment in a country where he doesn't like the traditions,laws,people,smoking culture etc etc etc.....we will have the bank boss's on here next moaning that there bonus's are down and looking for our sympathy...if you are looking for sympathy forget it!!!!!!!

You have bored,insulted and alienated most of the forum users to a point that most of the entertaining ones don't come anywhere near the site anymore for fear of your tedious whining!!!!

You were conned of money fortunately you could afford to lose (ie you didn't lose your livelyhood) put it down to experience and move on.................................

"You have bored,insulted and alienated most of the forum users to a point that most of the entertaining ones don't come anywhere near the site anymore for fear of your tedious whining!!!!"

Not quite true Georgia. After someone posted a particularly offensive comment to Goodstich late last year I received a PM from a once very popular and lively contributor who said they no longer posted because  they were so fed up of the nasty comments. It should be noted that whatever the provocation Goodstich never resorts to personal, rude, nasty or offensive attacks on anyone individually.

Perhaps some others on here could follow this example.

Regards, Poppyseed

Well said Poppyseed. You beat me to it.

A disgraceful diatribe which should be removed.

Poppyseed

thanks, and well said. Insults like that confirm my last post sadly.

Bri

I agree there's awful things going on everywhere, but if we all do our bit to help where we can, then I think that's all that can be asked of us.

Out of order Georgia....... personalising the argument never achieves anything (other than to let off steam )

We are not all supposed to feel sorry, we are supposed to respect others' opinions, learn (and forewarn others) about mistakes made where applicable, identify injustice where applicable, listen to positive and negative postings with an open mind to allow folk to draw their own conclusions, but hopefully most importantly, as Maria has observed, try and influence change where applicable to the benefit of all. That's all that Goodstich is attempting I would have thought.

Dear All,

should we be making allowances for our hungry trader.......

Sales of property to foreigners are down by 99 percent since 2005

perhaps he or she is in the queue to come back and start claiming?

I bet the non-buyers have to watch out.

Regards

Norman

Well said Georgia!   "Bored and Alienated" is bang on the money

 And from me!!!  Agree with Hammersfan again!!