| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Best Schengen Country to live in, based on Taxes + Healthcare Thread poster: Mariam Merabishvili
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yanadeni (X) 
Canada
Local time: 02:31
French to Russian
+ ...
Heinrich Pesch wrote: What's wrong with Georgia?
As far as I know Georgia is one of the cheapest countries to live in, at least for tourists. Physician salaries probably low. Is taxing so bad?
Perhaps you could tell us more about Georgia?
Estonia would be my suggestion. In any case you'll need a private health insurance. The prices can be found on the net.
In ex-USSR (excluding Baltic states) it's generally considered that it's better to be poor in any occidental country that to be rich in ex-USSR. So people are trying by all means to escape (not everybody of course, but the tendency is clear). Even if Georgia, with Saakashvili in head has started, maybe not to prosper, but to experience some stability, it's still far from being a "civilized" country, in the eyes of some.
| | | | Maarja Ora
Estonia
Local time: 09:31
English to Estonian
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MariusV wrote:
All in all, I think that it is best to live somewhere OUTSIDE the EU. And hope that this big collective farm called "European Union" (a huge mess) will collapse soon (just like the Soviet Union collapsed).
I think this attitude s very short-sighted. You cannot compare the USSR and the EU - these two unions are just so different and are based on different principles - to compare them is totally inappropriate.
| | | | Maarja Ora
Estonia
Local time: 09:31
English to Estonian
+ ...
| I do not agree with Yana | Aug 12, 2011 |
Yana Deni wrote: Heinrich Pesch wrote: What's wrong with Georgia?
As far as I know Georgia is one of the cheapest countries to live in, at least for tourists. Physician salaries probably low. Is taxing so bad?
Perhaps you could tell us more about Georgia?
Estonia would be my suggestion. In any case you'll need a private health insurance. The prices can be found on the net. In ex-USSR (excluding Baltic states) it's generally considered that it's better to be poor in any occidental country that to be rich in ex-USSR. So people are trying by all means to escape (not everybody of course, but the tendency is clear). Even if Georgia, with Saakashvili in head has started, maybe not to prosper, but to experience some stability, it's still far from being a "civilized" country, in the eyes of some.
You cannot be poor here in Estonia if you are a good translator, that's for sure. The other thing is that for him it would be much easier to get jobs in Georgia than in Estonia or any other country, I think.
Social tax is too high in Estonia (that's my opinion since I almost never visit a doctor ) but life is easy in Estonia. What I like the most are our IT solutions. Everything is digital - you really do not have to leave the house in order to send invoices, sign papers (you do it digitally), make payments, establish a company, declare your income, etc. We have wi-fi everywhere, even in small villages and it's mostly free, you can pay by a card almost everywhere, even in small village shops and little cellar bars (I remember I was in Berlin in 2008 and I felt like being stuck in the last century there (compared to Estonia) - you could pay by card only in big shops and big department stores in Berlin. I recently read an article about how far behind is Australia compared to us, Estonia, in banking and IT terms. After having read that article I thought - life is really very very easy here.
| | | | | Thank you all, | Aug 12, 2011 |
I don't want to live in Georgia because eventually I would like to attain a European passport, which would give me more freedom during traveling. In the end I have compared several countries and Czech seems to be the best. Prague seems to me like a pretty modern city and a flat 15% tax rate sounds very appealing. Especially compared to the 50% in Belgium/Netherlands and 35-40% in France/UK/Germany/Spain. A lot of countries I didn't consider because I wouldn't really want to live in them.
<... See more I don't want to live in Georgia because eventually I would like to attain a European passport, which would give me more freedom during traveling. In the end I have compared several countries and Czech seems to be the best. Prague seems to me like a pretty modern city and a flat 15% tax rate sounds very appealing. Especially compared to the 50% in Belgium/Netherlands and 35-40% in France/UK/Germany/Spain. A lot of countries I didn't consider because I wouldn't really want to live in them.
Another interesting country was Switzerland (20-30%, but very expensive).
Could anyone want to tell me more about the taxation in Czech and Switzerland? ▲ Collapse
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Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:31
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Though a UK passport | Aug 12, 2011 |
is by far the best, anywhere, but then you have to have lived in the country...
Possibly Swiss pensions shouldn't be too bad, regarding the money people earn there (it's another Luxembourg for the Germans) and the Swiss frank is now reaching the 1:1 ratio with the Euro, which makes buying in Europe much cheaper. Although for a translator, unless working for a Swiss agency, it's not really an issue.
Basel is a really nice place, but that's the only place I've been. You ... See more is by far the best, anywhere, but then you have to have lived in the country...
Possibly Swiss pensions shouldn't be too bad, regarding the money people earn there (it's another Luxembourg for the Germans) and the Swiss frank is now reaching the 1:1 ratio with the Euro, which makes buying in Europe much cheaper. Although for a translator, unless working for a Swiss agency, it's not really an issue.
Basel is a really nice place, but that's the only place I've been. You can also choose your language area .
The last I have heard about the Czech Republic was that you needed to be Czech or own a company in order to buy a place over there. But that may have changed because of them coming into the Union.
I don't know how pensions are, though. Healthcare is probably adequate, but social security in Eastern European countries is mostly very bad, although not as bad as Belgium, I'm told (pensions for self-employed are at Polish level, which is truly a disgrace).
About Estonia, wireless everywhere seems great and convenient, certainly if it's free, but the question is what that is going to do about the rate of cancer in the long term. Very unwise to do that without consistent proof that it is harmless... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | About Belgium | Aug 12, 2011 |
Just wanted to make one note about Belgium. It is a HORRIBLE country for entrepreneurs. You need to pass an exam before you can even start working on your own, and after that you are facing the highest taxes (almost) in the world. Which really surprises me since the infrastructure can be compared to Georgia's infrastructure, which has been bombarded several times.
| | | | Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:31
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Not everyone | Aug 12, 2011 |
has to do an exam (has to do with what you got in school. Unfortunately the Belgian state is always (too) wary of foreigners in general), but the rest is indeed ridiculous.
That is what you get with 6 governments with all of them their own parliament with its own paid members (2,000 EUR + we are talking each, and some of them combine posts! ). Most of the federal Senate (also paid) never turns up, no-one ever gets repri... See more has to do an exam (has to do with what you got in school. Unfortunately the Belgian state is always (too) wary of foreigners in general), but the rest is indeed ridiculous.
That is what you get with 6 governments with all of them their own parliament with its own paid members (2,000 EUR + we are talking each, and some of them combine posts!). Most of the federal Senate (also paid) never turns up, no-one ever gets reprimanded although they are supposed to hand in sick-notes and roads are not mended. Or they are and the contractor doesn't get paid.
Why do you think I left?
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I am Belgian.
Now seriously, I would frankly register and pay my SS in a country where you get something nice at the end.
[Edited at 2011-08-12 18:59 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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