Incata

I haven't been on this thread have i?:biggrin::wubclub:

Nope, you've been having a barney with me and been good as gold!

Jesus wept!:mad:i knew there was a reason we needed women,how DO they get the quilt in the quilt cover so quickly!:cute::wubclub:

I'll tell you a little secret. You get the inside top corners of the duvet cover and pin the duvet to them with clothes pegs. Then you pull the duvet through. Voila! Thirty seconds.

Done it all before on various threads tbh,in the end you'd still be as misguided at the end of it as you are now,san fairy ann:wink:

:hug: I'm beyond help Pablo, a lost cause :wink:

I can't answer your questions, but Ian Harrop is now called Overseas Emigration and they are based in Edinburgh. We used them and they were absolutely marvellous! I can't speak highly enough of them.

I think you would be very sensible to consult a migration agent, they could save you a lot of wasted time and generally the initial consultation (whether face to face or on the phone) is free so you lose nothing by contacting them.

My husband is very keen on it. Many a weekend have we spent in Dorset (Lulworth area) before moving out here. I don't know much about fossils, but I do know which are the best pubs round there which serve really good food!

I can't give you any advice but I do wish you luck! It is very brave to up sticks and move across on a student visa. Good luck to you both!

The best bit of salary packaging is the food card. You can have a meals card and choose how much extra you put on it per pay period. You can only spend the card on meals at restaurants and cafes, but you can put as much as you like on every month, tax free.

The other one (which has not been mentioned yet) is the refunding of hotel accommodation (not food) costs. You send your invoice/receipt from the hotel to the salary packaging company and the money to pay for it is taken out of your salary tax free. Not quite sure I understand this bit, but it never got properly explained to me (primarily because I showed no interest as we can't afford to go and stay in any hotels right now).

I cant instigate a debate on whether the civil list should be abolished or not sadly

TFFT,yer put years on me

Why not? We could have a ding dong for hours :wink:

Read "my" post again,the Duchy is #exempt# from corporation or capital gains tax,google it?

You can be as grateful as you want,thats your choice,of course they had to have charities,they have advisors,the royals know charities equals good PR,you think charlie boy is sitting behind a desk running it?! he lends his name to it,and people love him for it,people like you for instance,your choice not mine

I did google it and while he is exempt, he has chosen to pay it voluntarily since 1993.

It's the baz and Pablo show again..!!! Just leave the uk and live in happiness in Australia

Erm, where did Baz come into it? Last I saw it was Pablo and I having a debate :confused:

I dont need you to vet my arguments thx,i also dont need to hear the myth that the royals cost us all 5 pence a year either,the market value of the Duchy is estimated to be in the billions,so i would guess thats more than £50 each,thats just that Duchy btw,i haven't even mentioned the Duchy of Lancaster,if you're content to be led by the nose by the corporation that is the royal family and its supporters thats your choice,but i dont agree with feudal laws being used to protect money raised in the 21st century by a corporation,and thats what the Duchy is,in all but name

They are royal because their ancestors went round killing our ancestors. We lost, they won, they rule and have vast tracts of land to show for it. I don't begrudge them it - I could be a future Bill Gates (if only the right idea would come along) and then I would own vast tracts of land and set up lots of charities.

We should get used to it.

Much like the Welsh. They were conquered. They are ruled by the English. They should get used to it :wink:

Its a business,it should pay corporation tax like any other,the 3rd biggest land owner in the uk,the capital gains tax is reinvested in the duchy,thats why he pays no tax on it,not content with owning vast swathes of land that should belong to the country,he takes full advantage of special tax rules as well,and you're grateful he set up a charity?

Each to their own,but im not grateful for scraps thrown from the royals,you can be if thats how you feel i suppose

Prince Charles does pay corporation tax (read my post!)

I am grateful he set up a charity because he is actively helping young people - the very sector of the population that the government is ignoring. The work his charity has done in terms of supporting youngsters with no skills or qualifications to set up and manage their own businesses successfully is superb. He did not have to do it (any more than the Duke of Edinburgh had to set up the Duke of Edinburgh award which encourages thousands of young people every year to get out there and discover new skills, give back to the community etc etc).

Just because someone is royal, does not mean that they don't deserve credit for doing something which benefits others.

I spent 4 years in the public sector in WA and Slean Wolfhead's post had me smiling in agreement - that's exactly how it was where i worked. I'd never worked tin the public sector before and it was a revelation.

 

I had a fully expensed car including an allocated parking space - I didn't need one to do my job whatsoever, it was simply a 'perk' of my grade. I opted for 14 weeks leave a year, which i took but had many colleagues which months of untaken leave built up. I got used to nothing ever getting done and my OH (who worked there too) gave up even trying. The majority of people I worked with could never ever have stayed in employment in the private sector, either down to their incompetence or attitude.

 

It might be that you work in the health sector Fisheys and that could well be VERY different to public administration.

 

As far as tax breaks are concerned certainly in WA health workers were on one hell of a legal tax avoidance scheme, they could claim all kind of 'pre-tax' expenses up to a certain amount per annum (I think it was $10K??) in 'Salary Packaging'. There was a huge expose of fraud because nurses were found getting receipts from friends, refuse etc. and claiming. The scheme itself was part of the employment contract though. I almost lost an employee to Health because even the corporate team members got it.

 

I've found reference to it here as a 'Meal entertainment package' http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2066276

 

Here's a newspaper article about the abuse of the same tax breaks http://www.smh.com.au/national/doctors-make-meal-of-tax-break-for-hospital-employees-20091014-gxgn.html

 

I have to be honest and say I cannot see any justification for this allowance for health workers whatsoever, they should just pay the right level of salary in the first place! If i could claim it i would though.

 

If you do work in health i suggest you talk to your union rep and/or accountant as they will be able to assist you in getting the benefits of all tax breaks available to you.

 

And maybe apologise to Slean Wolfhead who may have just saved you a couple of $1000 a year

 

 

 

 

Salary packaging is also available to everyone who works in the not-for-profit sector. The year it was worth just over $16k tax free, although it is going down by a few hundred bucks in about April this year. You can do lot with it. You can pay your mortgage or rent, your student loan, your gas, electricity or water bill, or your childcare bill and the money is taken out of your salary before it is taxed. It is a marvellous perk but it does not surprise me at all that it is being widely abused.

APS is Australian Public Service. Federal Government in charge of the country, like your civil servants working for Government ministries in London. Canberra based on behalf of the country.

 

ACTPS is ACT Public service. Deals with local issues, like a big city council would such as Birmingham or Manchester, but slightly different because Canberra is a City within it's own very small State so the ACTPS doubles up and takes on both local and state responsibilities.

ie. The other much bigger states have multiple cities within them and thus multiple local councils under the State.

Many thanks. I understand now.

ACTPS, not APS.

Could you explain the acronyms for those of us who don't know anything about the public sector in Australia (other than if you want them to do anything it has to be submitted in triplicate, the world and his dog have to sign it, and you only get it through quickly if you happen to be mates with the relevant Head of Department).

Thanks

I think its the least he can do,seeing as he doesnt pay any corporation or capital gains tax on the duchy of cornwall,that "he" owns

You only pay Capital Gains Tax when you sell property or die. He is not dead and has not sold it, ergo no CGT. He also does not own the land, only the income from it.

It is considered Crown property and therefore not subject to corporation tax. However, since 1993 Prince Charles has been paying tax on the income from it, less official expenditure (ie the costs of the staff who manage it).

As this would be the case for any corporation (paying tax on profits after expenditure), I don't see a problem with it.

I have had excellent service from an Agent. We were a slightly difficult case because of my husband's Armed Forces background and without the support of our agent, I don't think we would have got the visa as quickly, or with as little stress as we did have.

We did not use an agent from this site, as I discovered the site after we had applied, but the agent I used was excellent and came highly recommended.

Incidentally, my son had his finger severed in a really bad accident, just as our visa application was due to go in. If we did not have an agent handling it for us, I think it would have been several more months before we actually submitted it. It's one of those things you don't consider - something dreadful happening. When you have an agent, if something terrible happens, it allows you to focus on the situation at hand while they continue, unstressed, dealing with your visa application for you.

I think if you are financially secure and happy in the UK you should stay there and just plan nice holidays to Australia. You will probably see more of it, enjoy it more and get more out of it than if you actually live here.

Just a thought. For all those who are anti the Royal Family, shouldn't research like this make us think, "Thank Goodness Prince Charles cared enough about youngsters to set up a charity like this which actually goes out there and does something about the real life issues young people are facing," rather than just criticise the Royals for being freeloaders.

What insulation have you put in ?

We used a firm called Insulation Extract and they put in Earthwool Batts. They also took away the rubbish which was up there (some sort of polywool which did not insulate at all).

We were really impressed with how quickly and efficiently they did the work. They were cost effective as well. I would recommend them.

Ah ok so just roof insulation, we will already have that in the new house, would like something in the walls ideally though.

Not sure cavity fill is a great idea as the electrics run in the cavity too which is also a crazy practice I reckon!

I think we will eventually build again using SIPs to achieve high insulation values and low air permeability plus double glazing, passive cooling and maybe gas/solar underfloor heating for the winter.........just need a builder willing to take it on !

We looked at getting cavity fill but it was too expensive, not practical for our house and with the amount of extra work to do, it would be cheaper for us to flatten the place and start over. However, hubbie is in love with the house :rolleyes:

We have changed plugs on things as we find them. We still have adapters which we use regularly, but when we use something more than once, we buy some more plugs in and change them over. Plugs are very cheap in Big W.

Without knowing the specifics, I do know you've had a pretty rough ride recently. Just a suggestion but have you looked into getting an Amex card and booking travel through them? They provide travel insurance which is pretty wide ranging and might cover you. Like I say, I don't know your exact situation but it could be worth a look?

For every travel insurance policy (even one provided by a credit card) you have to declare pre-existing conditions (it is in the small print). If you don't, you are not covered. When you declare the condition they will decide whether or not to cover it. If they do, they will charge you an extra premium for it.

When you make a medical claim (as we had to when my husband got sick in the US), before agreeing to pay it, they send a really long list of questions to your doctor, asking if you have ever had any of the listed conditions. If you have, and you have not declared it, the policy is declared invalid.

Companies like Down Under Insurance ask a question about medical conditions and if you answer in the positive, you have to go through a medical screening upfront, before they agree to give you the policy.

I cannot, and I am not thinking to live there without him. Anyway, it is already over. We broke up now.

Well done in having the confidence to say goodbye. Your life can only get better now and I am absolutely sure you will find someone who loves you the way you deserve.

But warranties are only as good as the company - it's not unusual for companies to go bust and the warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on. Are you saying a good quality system will last 20 years with no additional costs anticipated?

 

I'm not being awkward mate I just think people are under the impression you buy a system and once it's installed there are no other maintenance issues or upkeep required and that all companies warranties are kosha. I've lived here long enough to see more companies go bust than I can shake a stick at and shonky equipment that needs upkeep and then there are buy back schemes that promise the world and don't deliver because the power companies decide to reduce the payback amount.

 

I'm not saying solar panels are crap or the schemes won't work - I'm just saying so far I've not been able to look at any facts and see a proper payback and to be honest I would love to be wrong as there's nothing I'd love more than reduce these massive power bills. Like a previous poster says, so far the facts just demonstrate builders bling. I won't give up though as I would seriously like to get a result to be able to buy something that reduces the bills which are mental over here.

 

Thanks for your patience re this mate. I appreciate the feedback.

The warrantee is with the company who makes the panels. Admittedly they can go bust, so you need to pick your company and your panels carefully.

As far as upkeep, our panels need a wash periodically and that is it. Nothing else to worry about. As Chardy says, the thing that can go wrong is the Inverter, so again, you make sure you choose a good quality one.

If I were you I would discount the money you get back from the grid for electricity sold back. At about 8.8cents per unit it really is nothing to write home about. However, the cost savings are in the electricity you use during the day that you then are not having to pay for (current rate about 26 cents per unit). For us this covers using the pool pump/filter, air con when required, the washing machine usage and the dishwasher (which now go on during the day rather than in the evening). The only electricity we end up paying for is cooking in the evening, lights, air con (if we need it on) and the use of the computer in the evening. In the winter it reduced our costs to about $60 per month (with having the heating on every evening and morning).

If you work out how much electricity you use during the day (read your meter at 6/7am and then 12 hours later) you can easily work out how much electricity you are using, and then (using the cost per unit/KW provided by your electricity supplier), work out how much you pay for that electricity. That is how much you will save every day by having solar. You can then work out (from your quotes) how long it will take you to pay off the cost of the panels and then move into profit.

Will it last that long? What about repairs or replacement costs?

We fully expect it to last that long and the research we have done online suggests that they will, with only minor loss of efficiency over time. We went for Tier 1 panels, which are the most expensive but the best quality. For us, the quality of the panels was more important than the price and we only paid $3k more for the top quality panels than the cheap and poor quality Chinese ones we were quoted for. I very much doubt we will have to replace any of the panels unless they are damaged by hail (in which case it is a claim on the home insurance policy). I think the panels have a 10 or 12 year warantee and the workmanship is covered by the company for 2 years. We used solar2020 (who are Brits) and their work was of a very high standard (especially in comparison to the Australians who put our Solar Hot Water system in).

I have not yet spoken to anyone who has had to have Tier 1 panels repaired or replaced so it is not something I am worried about at this stage.

However, when it comes to Solar Hot Water I have spoken to plenty of people who have had problems with their systems and I can't say I am overly impressed with the system we have. I certainly would not recommend it.