why is loss of freedom of movement in eu seen as a big deal

[noseall]

Nobody should have a right to suck the resources of a foreign country they have not contributed to.

But you cheer on the (Tory only) ones that do in their own country.

 

[motorbiking]

How so? They're entitled to their pension and to spend it as and where they think fit.



But you've just spent pages telling us how it's not closed.


So your income tax and private medical insurance costs you hundreds of thousands?
What are you a stunt man for Superman?

Are you actually asking questions? Or just making more uninformed statements?

A person with reasonable financial resources can still retire in the EU. The bar is not particularly high.

A person who does not have sufficient resources is rightly prevented from being a burden on another country just because of some crazy right of free movement.

A person who pays top rate of tax and has a fair amount of stock holdings in a GIA would save 100s of thousands if their tax rate was capped at 7% and capital gains tax was zero. Feel free to do the maths.

 

[motorbiking]

But you cheer on the (Tory only) ones that do in their own country.

Not to mention the builders who pay themselves and their wives minimum wage so they can claim benefits.

 

[noseall]

Not to mention the builders who pay themselves and their wives minimum wage so they can claim benefits.

?

 

[King Billy]

Are you actually asking questions? Or just making more uninformed statements?

It's usually possible to differentiate questions from statements by the "?" at the end.

A person with reasonable financial resources can still retire in the EU. The bar is not particularly high.

I've already shown that only about 3% of adults have £200,000 savings to invest for their additional pension.
,That means that 97% of adults can no longer consider retiring abroad, whereas there was no such barrier pre Brexit.

A person who does not have sufficient resources is rightly prevented from being a burden on another country just because of some crazy right of free movement.

You're imposing your political ideology on others. You have no right to do that.
How would you react if others imposed their political ideology on you.
You'd be whining like a stuck pig.

A person who pays top rate of tax and has a fair amount of stock holdings in a GIA would save 100s of thousands if their tax rate was capped at 7% and capital gains tax was zero. Feel free to do the maths.

Your reports of 7% income tax in Greece is false.
We can see from this easily available guide that someone on £30,000 pension would pay a fair bit more income tax than in UK, £5,500 per year compared to about £4,000 per year in UK. Then there's Social charges on top, which is payable on pensions in Greece, whereas NI is not payable on pensions in UK.
And someone on £60,000 would pay £16,700 income tax in Greece, instead of £11,400 in UK.
So you're presenting totally false information.

But this is irrelevant to whether there are high barriers for pensioners to retire to EU post Brexit.
Clearly there are, despite your protestations, false representations and lame examples of income generating ideas.

 

[blup]

Complaining about loss of freedom of movement doesn't make any sense if you wanted to move abroad for a better life you wouldn't choose continental Europe as a place to stay countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the Arabian gulf (eg Saudi Arabia) would be far more sensible choices. If for whatever reason you could not move to such countries you would probably be better remaining in the UK.

Try getting into the US now

 

[motorbiking]

It's usually possible to differentiate questions from statements by the "?" at the end.


I've already shown that only about 3% of adults have £200,000 savings to invest for their additional pension.
,That means that 97% of adults can no longer consider retiring abroad, whereas there was no such barrier pre Brexit.

and you got it wrong... again.

• The Age Factor: Pension pots scale significantly with age. For those aged 45-54, the median private pension is £127,500 and for ages 55-64, it is £186,600 This means that for individuals approaching retirement, a £200,000 pot sits above the median (midpoint) but is not uncommon.
• The "Happiest Retirees": According to research by Legal & General, retirees with a pension pot of about £222,000 are the most likely to be happy in their later years, though only about 38% of UK retirees have attained this level of income or higher. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Source Google AI

You're imposing your political ideology on others. You have no right to do that.
How would you react if others imposed their political ideology on you.
You'd be whining like a stuck pig.

We had a referendum and people voted leave. We had a general election and people voted Labour - its called democracy.

Your reports of 7% income tax in Greece is false.
We can see from this easily available guide that someone on £30,000 pension would pay a fair bit more income tax than in UK, £5,500 per year compared to about £4,000 per year in UK. Then there's Social charges on top, which is payable on pensions in Greece, whereas NI is not payable on pensions in UK.
And someone on £60,000 would pay £16,700 income tax in Greece, instead of £11,400 in UK.
So you're presenting totally false information.

But this is irrelevant to whether there are high barriers for pensioners to retire to EU post Brexit.
Clearly there are, despite your protestations, false representations and lame examples of income generating ideas.

View attachment 415310

Again, you get it wrong.

Greece Non-Dom Tax Regime in 2026: Tax Benefits for Non-Residents in Greece

The non-dom tax regime in Greece is a legal framework that lets new tax residents replace progressive tax. This guide covers eligibility, deadlines, and risks of Greece’s non-dom tax regime. It explains the €100,000 flat tax for investors and the 7% rate for retirees.

immigrantinvest.com

Greek 7% Income Tax for Pensioners – Key Insights | Mitos Relocation

Discover how Greece’s 7% income tax for pensioners affects you. Learn about tax benefits, eligibility, and more with Mitos Relocation Solutions.

mitosrelocation.com

 

[noseall]

Complaining about loss of freedom of movement doesn't make any sense if you wanted to move abroad for a better life you wouldn't choose continental Europe

Have you never heard of a place called Spain?

 

[motorbiking]

8 years later

But good news. - its still possible for many

Living in Spain

Information about moving to, living or retiring in Spain – including visas, working, healthcare and driving.

www.gov.uk

 

[King Billy]

and you got it wrong... again.

• The Age Factor: Pension pots scale significantly with age. For those aged 45-54, the median private pension is £127,500 and for ages 55-64, it is £186,600 This means that for individuals approaching retirement, a £200,000 pot sits above the median (midpoint) but is not uncommon.
• The "Happiest Retirees": According to research by Legal & General, retirees with a pension pot of about £222,000 are the most likely to be happy in their later years, though only about 38% of UK retirees have attained this level of income or higher.

It's irrelevant.
At a growth of 10.4% on £186,000 thar's just about£19,000, financed from your predicted growth. With a state pension, that's just £28,500 per year. Just about passable if the requirement is for the minimum requirement. And the pot never grows, and the additional income is barely sufficient to qualify retiring to Greece. You need between £24,000 to £42,000 passive income per year to qualify for a FIP visa.
And there are other requirements.
After 15 years you'll be taxed at normal rates.
So while initially it might appear attractive, there's a nasty sting in the tail.

We had a referendum and people voted leave. We had a general election and people voted Labour - its called democracy.

You were originally expressing your personal ideology, now you've segwayed onto government policy

Citizens with little to no means to support themselves should not be able emigrate to another country to burden them without having made any contribution. This is why free movement is bonkers.

Again, you get it wrong.

Greece Non-Dom Tax Regime in 2026: Tax Benefits for Non-Residents in Greece

The non-dom tax regime in Greece is a legal framework that lets new tax residents replace progressive tax. This guide covers eligibility, deadlines, and risks of Greece’s non-dom tax regime. It explains the €100,000 flat tax for investors and the 7% rate for retirees.

immigrantinvest.com

Greek 7% Income Tax for Pensioners – Key Insights | Mitos Relocation

Discover how Greece’s 7% income tax for pensioners affects you. Learn about tax benefits, eligibility, and more with Mitos Relocation Solutions.

mitosrelocation.com

Like I said, initially it looks attractive, but there's a nasty sting in the tail.
In the UK, on say £30,000 they'd pay about £3,500 tax per year.
In Greece thy pay 7% on all their income, which equates to about £2, 100 per year.
Then there's medical insurance on top for those in Greece, between £125 and £500 per month, which is not necessary if they were in UK.
So the overall cost of retiring to Greece for tax and Medical insurance is between £3,600 and £9,500 per year.
It's not looking at all attractive now.

After 15 years of retirement at the 7% (which is not guaranteed. to last for 15 years), the pensioners are either faced with far more taxation than if they were in UK, and the continuing medical insurance and now social charges on top, or they must up-sticks and retire to another country, in the later years of their life.

I'm sure there's going to be a "gold rush" of pensioners looking for 7% income tax and expensive medical insurance.

Pre Brexit they could have easily moved to another EU country without needing to meet any criteria.

 

[King Billy]

But good news. - its still possible for many

Of course it's possible, but the criteria now prevents most pensioners from considering it.
Pre Brexit there were no such criteria.

 

[noseall]

Of course it's possible

No one said it wasn't. A lot regret not being able to go and settle there, before the full Brexit shítshambles was realised.

 

[motorbiking]

It's irrelevant.
At a growth of 10.4% on £186,000 thar's just about£19,000, financed from your predicted growth. With a state pension, that's just £28,500 per year. Just about passable if the requirement is for the minimum requirement. And the pot never grows, and the additional income is barely sufficient to qualify retiring to Greece. You need between £24,000 to £42,000 passive income per year to qualify for a FIP visa.
And there are other requirements.
After 15 years you'll be taxed at normal rates.
So while initially it might appear attractive, there's a nasty sting in the tail.


You were originally expressing your personal ideology, now you've segwayed onto government policy




Like I said, initially it looks attractive, but there's a nasty sting in the tail.
In the UK, on say £30,000 they'd pay about £3,500 tax per year.
In Greece thy pay 7% on all their income, which equates to about £2, 100 per year.
Then there's medical insurance on top for those in Greece, between £125 and £500 per month, which is not necessary if they were in UK.
So the overall cost of retiring to Greece for tax and Medical insurance is between £3,600 and £9,500 per year.
It's not looking at all attractive now.

After 15 years of retirement at the 7% (which is not guaranteed. to last for 15 years), the pensioners are either faced with far more taxation than if they were in UK, and the continuing medical insurance and now social charges on top, or they must up-sticks and retire to another country, in the later years of their life.

I'm sure there's going to be a "gold rush" of pensioners looking for 7% income tax and expensive medical insurance.

Pre Brexit they could have easily moved to another EU country without needing to meet any criteria.

You are still jumping around between different tax options. The flat rate taxes are designed for higher net worth individuals. You can apply for residency well before your 15 years are up.

As someone who is retired having paid 50% nominal rate and will likely do so this year and only a bit less next year, I can only dream of 7% tax

I'm glad we no longer have free movement. It stops Europes net benifitiers from raiding our taxes. Its only fair that the reverse is also true.

 

[motorbiking]

Of course it's possible, but the criteria now prevents most pensioners from considering it.
Pre Brexit there were no such criteria.

not most, some.

 

[Mottie]

A lot regret not being able to go and settle there, before the full Brexit shítshambles was realised.

I don’t personally know anyone that has ever considered retiring abroad and I know plenty that could afford to, even now. Go on, surprise me. I suppose you personally know of dozens that were planning to do so before Brexit but whose plans were scuppered because of it……