MACDONALDO67

Some nice houses in Tapping.

One of my colleagues from work has been for an interview today and the salary he has been quoted is between $165-$180 plus benefits and bonus and he's still not convinced that's enough to live on. My reply was that if he wasn't happy or sure of the job can he put my name down for an interview. :biglaugh:

Mind you I don't mind paying a fair share of tax. It's what this lot in power waste it on that ticks me off.

Any way my minds made up. I'm voting for Northshorepom. His suggestions of scrapping the hidden tax sells it to me. :biglaugh:

The more money you have, the more disposable income, the more opportunity to make that money work for you. The less money you have, the less disposable income, the less opportunity because that money meets the bills/budget. Unless those well off have been in the latter then nothing will change. If you don't like it then leave. However, going to Australia is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. I'm pretty sure the elite are just as bad there but at least the sun shines, the climate is good to make one feel just that little bit better :biglaugh:

This will be the third year running that the 20/40% threshold has been reduced along with taking millions out of tax altogether. I find it strange that the 40% tax starts at just £32010 (after personal allowance deduction) People that say "wish I was on £30k or £40k a year" fail to understand that some of those people probably earned it and remember after tax and NI deductions it is not £30k or £40k in the hand. Those that boost their incomes on overtime, myself incuded so my wife stayed at home to look after the kids, gets £40 deducted for every £100 earned and then there's the NI to deduct from that. For the Government to say that a family is losing credits/allowances when a family has a stall/budget set out is wrong. That puts pressure on families to find the money to replace the loss. So working the overtime then puts people in the 40% bracket and close to the child benefit cap of £50,000. So in essence tripping into that bracket defeats the object of working the overtime. But not working the overtime can be "cutting your nose off spite your face" for those extra luxuries one works hard for. Just seems that aspiration is killed. These politicians don't care about personal struggle because they are in their own little safe bubble. Never struggled, juggled, money always there.That's why a lot of their policies are ill thought. These people have enough disposable income to put in tax avoidance schemes, topping up their pensions paying less tax whereas your single earning family man will more than likely use all his disposable income on the family survival budget for the month and pay more tax. The older I get the more I resent the elite in this kingdom.

Exciting isn't it :biglaugh: Well done anyway.

Notice how the Government likes banging the drum of "We are taking an extra 2 million out of tax altogether" lark but don't advertise how they have lowered the 20/40% threshold so what the earners in the £40,000 gross mark pay the 20% back they had just been given. More people of the working/middle class band have just been put into the 40% bracket. So any overtime that you work is taxed more at the 40%. Aspiration dead. Furthermore, those people that have come from a far to fill the jobs that the aleged lazy British don't want, that fall into the £10,000 bracket won't be paying any / much tax but will be entitled to credits, child benefit etc to top their wages up. And yet the Tories want to restrict benefits to £26,000. Jesus if they are on about doing this then exactly what is being paid out at the minute? But at least the poor rich get a 5% discount from 50% to 45% whilst one wage earner on £40,000 gross, working overtime and everything that is thrown at him boosting his wages to £60,000 gross loses his tax credits (set at £43,000 gross), and Child Benefit (set at £50,000 gross declining to £60,000). This whilst a couple next door earning £90,000 total income keep all the child benefit. There is no doubt about it that the system needs overhauling but considering that this incompetant set up has been like this for hundreds of years, rich running the roost in their own little greed bubble, I don't expect anything to change.

I have a big house too but cannot afford to out to the pub as much as I would like too. So we buy in from Asda or Tesco depending on what deals are on but we can't have a BBQ coz it's too bloody cold outside at the moment.:biglaugh:

Hope so too Petals love. One way or another within the next 9 years, (coz I'm already planning to cash in and get out at 55), we won't be here. I'm lucky to have a wife that wants out too, (she's a greenhouse kid too but struggles with heat over 30) :biglaugh: Problem is the kids. My lad will be 25 and my daughter 23 by then. I don't want to be in OZ if they are here in the UK trying to bring up a family with no help. Need something to happen this next 12 months. Was so close last March and just missed out. Anyway we have said to them them both if they are going to go abroad then head for OZ. :biglaugh: Spain or Cyprus are plan B and C but I don't want second best. We know where we want to be. It's just achieving it is the problem.

O dear I do believe I have become a whinging POM. Blast !! Fell into the trap !!!! I did my best not to be. :biglaugh:

Paul you are not wrong but I'm sure there are better options than take, take, take. It's amazing how money is found for wars, digging the banks out of the **** and this latest HS2 railway finance not forgetting MP's expenses. It's all corrupt but then I guess it's like that in Oz to a certain degreee only that the sun shines more.

Just had two of my colleagues from work move to Perth. I was unlucky and I guess my age cost me. I know you said before about the cost and change from $25 but you know what I don't care. (I know your reply was not for me) That might be a blessing in disguise Paul, an excuse to cut down, I don't know. I've done my drinking days 25 years ago. I'm more reserved now. Same **** just different rock. I just want a better climate, better lifestyle but I just cannot get it off the ground. Anyway, Bondi next December. Looking forward to it. Holiday of a lifetime. Last one we had was Hawaii 1995 and Rio in 1996 then the kids came along. Really looking forward to Australia end of this year. I know I'm going to love it. One of those feelings that you just cannot explain. It's that plane ride home that I don't know how I'm going to cope with and it's going to be LONG ride of misery.

I'm getting the destinct impression that the UK is not for the family man. OK I'm 45, have been lucky enough to have been employed for the past 28 years solid, but this past 9 years I have noticed a real bad difference here for a working family man, which is what I think I am, Middle/Wolrking class. For the past 16 hears my wife stayed at home to look after the kids, (they are now 14 and 16). I was the sole wage earner. I relied upon working a lot of overtime. This past 24 months I have lost a small benefit of £42 P/M contributing to the family pot because I work the overtime. I am now in danger of losing a % of child benefit because my sole wages exceed the allowance threshold. Next door earn between £70m and £80,000 between them and they keep the lot ???? The proposed Married Man's tax allowance that was talked about comig in from April, (which I thought would balance the Child benefit and Tax Credit loss), has been shelved. I find myself in a position of running faster but not making any ground. Aspiration has been killed. Familiar? Apart from the climate, (coz I'm a greenhouse plant person), the above is the second reason why I want out....... but find myself struggling to get out. "If you work then it should pay. People that work should be rewarded." David Cameron 2010. All lies.

Hi and welcome to PIO. Have a good read through. Don't be put off by negative posts or the theads on those returning because it didn't work out. There is a hell of a lot of info on this forum if you do the searches and you will get answers to everything on here. It's a good site. Ignore the pedants. Those posts that you read that are bad experiences by people that tried it and it didn't workout... don't worry yourself. Everyone is different. It's a lottery. From those posts you can pick up some tips, warnings and learn from them. There are quite a few people returning but there are far more that stay and LOVE IT. Best wishes to you and good luck in your forthcoming experience.

:eek::mask:

Yep the cost has most certainly risen. I was always under the illusion that Australia was cheaper than the UK. I'm sure certain things are but overall the rise outweighs in the majority of cases. I read about someone buying a couple of drinks in Perth and they didn't get much change out of $20. Yet the pay appears to be higher there. Yet in Sydney NSW the pay for a similar job I was looking at was $40,000 less and I was trying to work out if a family can survive on say $47,000. The job I was looking at in Perth was $88,000 rising to $120,000 yet I read on here shopping at Coles and Woolworths was expensive. To compensate this I guess the wages have to be higher but not all wages are. It hasn't put me off. Infact the negative posts educate me and inprove my investigation. Sort of gives you an early insight into what to expect and look out for. The positive threads are the bonus.

Moan, Whine, whing, Complain that's the British race. In fact some are only happy when there is something to complain about even if the situation is perfect. Hell I've had a moan or two. However, and I said this in another thread a few weeks ago, having been on and off on here since 2008 I have noticed an increase of negative posts. Take on board what is said by individuals but do not let that make your mind up otherwise you could be the one missing out on a country that suits you but obviously did not suit others. Horses for Courses.

NSW ambulance costs for call out is $331 but it states that is for residents. So what if you are a tourist? Watching Bondi Rescue that ambulance is called out a lot. So does anyone know what the charge is for tourists or if we need that on our insurance cover? A taxi to the hospital is cheaper than that !!:biglaugh:

I was quoted 30 years the other day in another thread but 17 Jeez !!! Are they being made by wolves for three little pigs or something? I would have expected something made of bricks would not blow down after 100 years never mind 17 :biglaugh:

There may be a bit of truth to it. Reason I say that is because on my "Pension Planner" my estimations has shot up by nearly a £1000 on my per year estimation since October 2012 where over the period before this it was pretty stagnant. So there is movement in the right direction until the 3rd recession hits us.:laugh:

Indeed good news and I hope the trend improves.

:biglaugh: Listen the Poles here in the UK, on poor wages in Poland are on better wages here, get Child benefit and send it home to Poland where their kids are. It goes on. Anyway winter heating allowance in Oz and Portugal. It's cooling allowance. That air con must cost a packet to have on all day. :laugh:

30 years !!!??? For a brand new brick built house that they advertise all mod cons??

Yeah I will do thanks for that. I have a choice of paying the shortfall for her now in full or in stages or sending her out back to work. Our kids are 14 and 16 but my wife will need to get a qualification for what she wants to do, which means night school, and then work and pay NI. It's that increase in contributions they are on about doing that will set her back another 5 years that have to look into solving. I'm paid up on mine. In 22 years I wonder if there will be a state pension for us to be honest.