Most days of the week I am pretty content with the level of tax dollars going to welfare here in Taiwan.
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I am going to watch that video with my wife. Thank you.
I have a severance package, which would keep us afloat for a year if the job did not work out. I am pretty sure it will though. It is an ideal job for me in some ways, but I donāt want to move just because of the job itself if its not smart adulting wise. I can always get another job in the US, as Iāve turned down offers here this job search, and have a few more still in process where I am a finalist. Most donāt pay as much as my current position, but one is close, 100k, and has much better hours and more flexibility. My wife also has US citizenship, so that makes things easier.
I lived in Taiwan for about 4 years almost ten years ago and visit every other year since then. I didnāt want to leave Taiwan at that time, and usually I donāt want to leave when Iām there. Iām worried its nostalgia and rose colored glasses now though since I do notice that Taiwan is kindaā¦ādumpyā (for lack of a better word) than America. Iāve never spent much time in Taipei though, which doesnāt seem nearly as dumpy as the rest of the country.
I am trying to push for another week of PTO, and the company itself doesnāt open for the makeup Saturdays, so those wonāt be held against met.
The main thing I worry about is the lack of access to beautiful outdoor spaces. In NM its gorgeous, and we can take a road trip to Arizona or Utah where the outdoors are truly legendary. Road trips are a big thing for us here. Obviously Taiwan canāt compete with the USA in that regard, but I am thinking cheap(er) trips to Thailand, Japan, Korea, etc can make up for that. I donāt know.
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Try 20% on his level
I never tip in America. Especially if they already have service charge.
That is highly inappropriate. Tipping in the US is pretty much mandatory. Most servers wonāt confront you if you donāt tip, but some will. If that hasnāt happened to you, then youāre lucky.
Servers make like a quarter of the minimum wage, because it is expected that their main source of income comes from tips. Not tipping = not paying your server their wages.
If they already charge you a 10% service charge, then you only need to tip 10% instead of 20%. But you are still expected to tip.
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Know what you mean . But Taiwanās cities are vastly improved, and the national parks are awesome. The dumpiness is getting less and less fast! I wouldnāt describe Taipei, Taichung or Kaohsiung as dumpy at all.
And outdoors are excellent here, you got the ocean and mountains on your doorstep. So much you can do.
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The mountains, lakes, and beaches are stunning in Taiwan, and owning a car is cheap. Thereās also a big hiking and camping culture, if you like that type of thing. Plenty of mountain climbing groups you can join on the weekend or scuba, if you want a new hobby.
Really nothing stopping you moving then. Especially when you consider this:
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How is that possible? The max tax rate is around that in most places.
Including national insurance? Health insurance etc?
True. America is not for everyone. I am just renewing a multiple year contract with a US listed company. They operate world wide. They ask sometimes would I like to work for them in the USA. Iām like sorry, nothing in the USA interests me that much that I would want to live and work there. Also I donāt want to move from being a supplier to an employee. They offered three years ago to buy my company in Taiwan from me.
To move to Taiwan, yes plenty of pros. Rents in Taipei would easily hit US$2000 a month, can do it cheaper but depends on quality. For one couple maybe a 2 bedroom apartment is enough. Transportation in Taipei is fantastic and even taxis are cheap enough.
It is a city that is easy to let it suck money from you though. Easy to eat out here and there.
I would say yes come visit first then decide to move if possible.
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Some countries crazy high tax rate does seem to benefit the people like Scandinavian countries, but for the most part the state of affairs just doesnāt justify the high tax rate. Many countries have a massive government like France and Italy, but there is still so much visible poverty. Britain has a fairly high tax rate as well but the public transport is so bad and so expensive.
Generally speaking government just never spends money efficiently.
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For example, in Ireland they have a universal social income tax that goes UP the more you earn and it is added to the existing top rate of income tax at 40% (and in Ireland that top rate starts at just 40k Euro).
So say if you earned 150k Euro or more I think you pay about 50% taxes all in on your overall earnings.
The USC was supposed to be temporary to help the country recover but in true govenrnent fashion it has now become permanent. Hence no Irish doctors want to work in Ireland anymore etc etc.
(edit - I checked, I was was wrong above itās about 42% tax overall, pension deductions can also be tax deductible to lower a bit further)
Add it to 33% capital gains tax and 40% tax deemed disposal on ETFs and you got yourself the new soviet union in micro form. Literally the only way you can save money for HIGHER EARNERS from the taxman are pension contributions and housing.
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How do you figure? Cars here cost lot more than US. And parking is a nightmare.
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That is illegal. also not my business to pay for the cost of an employee the business is meant to pay for. Itās like extortion. Funny thing on a dive forum. American is going to Australia, the dive op says they do not accept tips which of course shocked the american who was told the minimum wage is like $20 an hour.
2 kids, no car, NT$18K two bedroom apartment, eat out with lunch boxes and 1-2 nicer Western sit down restaurants a week. All in all, we spend minimum NT$75k a month. Wild spending months we spend NT$100K - meaning eat out whenever we want and get endless good coffee. Our quality of life in Taiwan far exceeds anything in the West. Also, we pay between 5-12% in tax a year - lots of exceptions possible. In my home country, the cost of living was 1/3 more with 27% tax, and the quality of life was not as high in the area of accommodation. The outdoor environment is nicer back home, but Taiwan is generally considered safeā¦very few random attacks. So, US$70K in Taiwan with no kids, Iād say is a step up. But, thereās always the culture here which tends to grind on long-term foreign residents. If you can make your peace quickly with Taiwan, accept the good things, as well as the backwards, itās a good move.
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There is pay parking everywhere.
Parking is very expensive.
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I would have 3 dependents, wife plus in-laws. Not sure what that would bring my tax liability down to with 92k NT times 3 exemption.
Paid parking vs free parking in the US. So still trying to figure out how it is cheaper to own car in Taiwan.
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No, it is not illegal in the US. The minimum wage for tipped employees in the US is like a quarter of the normal minimum wage.
I agree with this, if we lived in an ideal world. Unfortunately, we do not. You live in the real world, so you need to follow the rules of the real world.
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What you see happening in some of those countries you mentioned is people who live off the government and use welfare as a base wage to fund their petty criminal lifestyle. So you are in effect paying part of your taxes directly to some deadbeats who hang around near the bus stop and rob you, on your way home from work, earning that very money.