Voting rights for expats

Petera

Urmstongran

It's also not clear-cut, I know people who live outside of the UK but pay their taxes inside the UK.

Eh?
Sorry to be dim Petera but I thought the tax situation was the main crux of the 180 days +. 1 guidelines? Whichever you choose stay in the most gets your taxes?
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No - it should be a simple as that but unfortunately not. People who have left the UK can still declare it as their 'residence' even if they never visit.

How?

Personally I have mixed feelings about this.

After 15 years, many expats become a bit detached from the realities of 'back home' and often will not be affected by the consequence of their vote. Should people be allowed to vote on things which will have no influence on their own lives? Not sure. Pink coloured glasses, nostalgia, and more.

I wonder what the proportion of over 15 year expats would have been, re Brexit, for instance.

Alegrias1

Pass the smelling salts maddyone .

Doubly shocked because I agree with Urmstongran too - especially the post at 9:32!

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Which is, I suspect what this is about.
Keeping Scotland in the UK.

Yes, sounds like a sly move to scupper the Scottish referendum.
Not that I have a suspicious mind and I'd prefer you to stay, of course.

Should such people have been allowed to vote ‘in case’?
In that way, I guess what you're saying Wizend is that it becomes like an insurance policy for them?

We are like a Venn diagram Alegrias - we overlap in some areas!
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Our children were going intp UK university education while we lived abroad so it was important for us to vote. 15 years later, I'm not so sure we would be over concerned and would have just accepted it. Many expats do what they feel works for them at the time, that's why they can sometimes be unpopular.

People who have a Govt pension- teachers, healthcare workers, military etc have NO choice but to pay the tax on that pension in the U.K. Any other pensions - such as old age pension - or other earnings is taxed in the country of residence. There is a bi-lateral treaty with some countries at least so that people are not taxed twice on the same income.
We do still have the vote because we have yet to pass the 15 year mark but pay tax in both countries.

Brexit has taken away the rights to vote in local elections in the country of residence whether or not you pay taxes and naturally the right to vote in European elections.

Thank you for explaining it to me Welshwife.
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There are apparently about 5 million British expats in total. Of the 2m already eligible to vote, only 230,000 chose to do so in the 2019 election. If the same percentage opting to vote applies to the 3m additional eligible voters then we could expect 350,000 or so more voters in the system. I guess it just depends how many still want to influence.

Urmstongran

Well my Scottish stepfather will be voting ‘no’ then in any Indy2 referendum.

Actually though, I’m not sure that I agree with these new proposals. Maybe (cynically) it’s because Brexit is done now?

I know several ex-pats in Spain who voted for Brexit. I think they are regretting it now though!

We pay taxes globally Urmstongran there is some reduction in French tax to allow for the fact that tax is paid in UK.
Of course decisions made by the UK government impact on us at times in regard to pensions, taxation, freedom of movement etc.
We don't abandon any feelings for our homeland just because we live in a different country, movement within Europe was encouraged before Brexit now things have changed.
There are more French people living in UK than vice versa. Or this was the case before Brexit.

My daughter has lived abroad for 25 years, but works for a British company and is paid in sterling to a UK bank. She pays a considerable amount of tax in England in addition to employing an English accountant to deal with her affairs. I feel she should have a right to vote. Just saying.

sodapop

We pay taxes globally Urmstongran there is some reduction in French tax to allow for the fact that tax is paid in UK.
Of course decisions made by the UK government impact on us at times in regard to pensions, taxation, freedom of movement etc.
We don't abandon any feelings for our homeland just because we live in a different country, movement within Europe was encouraged before Brexit now things have changed.
There are more French people living in UK than vice versa. Or this was the case before Brexit.

I am present and I pay UK taxes.