Oh no, not more preamble
Sorry, but yes there is. This is an article about relative taxes to pay between different countries. My intention is to write another article on HMRC related taxes. As you may feel like I do, that you seem to be coughing up more and more to this useless government: you are. I guarantee that future article will upset you.
Chapter 3: ‘Let me tell you how it will be, there’s one for you, nineteen for me’ - George Harrison in The Beatles
Back to emigrating. I have only really considered two countries in the past: Latvia and Scotland. I discounted both in the end, based on the additional taxes I would need to pay on my pension. Plus, the uncomfortable truth in not being able to understand the language of the natives.
This was a source that I started following, yet I have over four hundred unread emails from them. So, I guess I am not that serious about emigrating. Regards finding out about taxes in Latvia, I used a similar website to this (there are lots of other sites) back then it showed income tax to be more than the UK. That link shows Personal Income Tax (PIT) for the UK to be 0.00 – 47%. So, it is obviously only a guide, and further research was required. Courtesy of my stepson, here is that research.
When considering Scotland, and we got as far as viewing half a dozen properties up there. Oddly, four of the five owners that we met were English and all were moving back to England. Mainly “to be nearer grandkids” was their stated reason, but it did ring a few alarms bells. The sixth property overlooked Loch Ness, and was clearly an investment holiday let, nationality of the owner was unknown. But it was a rather abused property. There is a lesson there for you.
Those viewings all took place when the Queen was on the throne. Not Lizzie: Nicola. Which was something else that put me off, plus the rain, plus the midges, plus I felt I may be outdone in the whingeing stakes by the world championship winning Jocks.
My wife loved the idea of the ‘Freedom to roam’ perception of all land in Scotland. I saw most of those roams being at 45 degrees incline, so that did not appeal, but to offset that, the lower cost of houses in the sticks did.
However, after checking the income tax bands, I rejected the idea altogether. As there is more tax to be paid in Scotland than England. Here are the current (2025/2026) limits
Scotland: Up to £12,570: nowt.
Starter rate from £12,571 to £15,397 @ 19%.
Basic rate from £15,398 to £27,491 @ 20%.
Intermediate rate from £27,492 to £43,662 @ 21%.
Higher rate: from £43,663 to £75,000 @ 42%.
Advanced rate from £75,001 to £125,140 @ 45%.
Top rate: from £125,141 @ 48%.
England: Up to £12,570: nowt.
Basic rate on £12,571 to £50,270 @ 20%.
Higher rate from £50,271 to £125,140 @ 40%.
Additional rate from £125,141 @ 45%.
My focus was the Basic rate, which in England is from £12,571 up to £50,271 and paid at 20%,
Compare that with the 19/20/21/42% that applies in Scotland. What a farcical way to differentiate tax. And that’s without considering the random numbers for the cut-offs. I was told by one of the Englishmen hoping to move south of the border that “the Scottish government are more socialist, and therefore one pays more tax, but you do at least get free prescriptions”
Perhaps those moving south were tax accountants looking for an easier life. All that later reminded me of the Scottish government’s lockdown and restriction responses to the Convid. Changing those dates oh so slightly from what the blonde slug south of the border did. That is the period when my respect for politicians started to seriously erode.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) called Land & Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) in Scotland is also far more than in England. I resent paying it at all. And I think that will be the decider on whether to buy in the UK, if I decide to sell my current house. In Scotland you will pay 10% on purchasing houses from £325k, whereas in England it would be 5% up to £925k. It is not 5% (or 10%) on the full sum, it is calculated in stages. e.g. If you pay £925k in England to move house, you only pay £36,250 or 4% in Stamp Duty. https://www.stampdutycalculator.org.uk
Latvia income tax: Up to €6,120 if working, or up to €12,000 if in receipt of pension: nowt
From €12,001 (if OAP) to €105,300 @ 25.5%
From €105,301 to €200,000 @ 33%
From €200,001 an additional 3% (36%)
Cash is King in Latvia. That was confirmed by getting work done on my wife’s property: every job carried out was paid for in cash. Therefore, as a pensioner, if you are above board on your declarations, as a foreigner would have to be, I suspect that the Latvian government would keep a close eye on your income. From what my wife tells me: a lot of employers pay a salary that goes through the books, plus a top up in a brown envelope that is not declared to the government. As paying everything above board could financially cripple firms. This system could be coming soon to our country.
I dismissed the idea of living in Latvia during my first visit there, as I had been introduced to Latvian mosquitoes, plus we had one walk through some woods which resulted in over fifty ticks having to be removed from our two dogs in the boot of the car, and that was after we had swept lots more from them in the woods. My mind had been made up.
Mossies (or muzzies) and ticks are not something you see on the holiday brochures either. Sweden had lots of the former (two!) Fortunately, the great replacement is on a slow burn in Latvia. We only saw a few (I thought it was the same guy!) doing Deliveroo style deliveries. Zinta’s youngest son was doing deliveries on a pedal cycle for a while and says it has become very much a closed shop amongst the Asians.
If you looked at the huge choirs and dance groups in my previous article, the nation is predominantly white, check out the 2023 concert. Just to show you I am not racist. I am sat next to the only black man in the audience (an American tourist). And for that reason: whiteness was never a consideration for emigration destination (take note 77th Brigade)
Unlike the UK, the upside of Latvia is that the population is decreasing. There are lots of abandoned properties in both the countryside and some magnificent, neglected houses in Riga and other cities. These are usually wooden constructions and were often second homes to rich German landowners. Farms are being stepped away from (coming soon to the UK) and those lands are quickly reverting to silver birch woods. That is what happened to Zinta’s property.
There are lots of things to consider when looking to emigrate, aside from taxes:
The leaders of the nations for one, for that reason currently Hungary and Slovakia appeal. Because they have leaders that are appearing to stand up to the Globalists. But these guys are only one rigged election or an assassin’s bullet away from not being leader. Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia recently took four of them.
The climate is important to me, as I am now struggling with extremes in temperature. I think I have a comfort window of 5 degC nowadays, anything from 20 to 25 degC is good. Outside those temperatures not so good. I understand the only place with low seasonal temperature variations is Madeira. I think I would go stare crazy living there. But, we have yet to visit. Hopefully this winter we will have a break there.
I could never consider a place that had wall to wall sunshine, day in, day out. We both love the seasons. Winter with log fires, spring with everything starting to recover and the birdsong returning. I have spent time in Australia on holiday, and I appreciate the climate varies for the location. But witnessing people running from air-conditioned houses to air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned offices makes one wonder if the great outdoors of Oz is imaginary. Conversely, the river Daugava in Latvia has been known to remain frozen until April.
Medical care: I once told a neighbour we were having a week away in the wilds of Northumberland, with a view to moving there. She said that I am not getting any younger and that ambulances will take ages to get to me up there! We waited twenty-seven hours when my mother-in-law fell and broke her hip (unknown until she was X-Rayed) at our house just outside of Norwich. So that ambulance time theory went straight out of the window.
Medical treatment in Latvia is far cheaper than going private in the UK. And I am not certain I would trust the NHS, if I was seriously ill. Although they would not get much for my 67-year-old heart, and my eyes are knackered, so they will not get sold. Being a glass half (some say quarter) full man and never having had need to visit a hospital apart from having stitches as a kid from Bonfire defending: I took a half brick to the head, the female Indian (first Asian I had seen) doctor said “is it your custom to throw bricks at each other?) I am thinking, I emigrate and end up needing hospital treatment, perhaps because of a tick bite!
Dentistry costs in Latvia are a fraction of the UK. My wife flies back for treatments and takes my teeth with her for service. Vet costs are very much cheaper; we are seriously ripped off here.
I will leave you with a funny. Since looking up the videos of the 5 yearly song and dance festival, Zinta has become a tad homesick. So, she started looking at property on the Latvian equivalent of Gumtree: SS.com. That website always makes me think that the Latvians do miss that German period of occupation. Here is an example of a typical house cost there.