Meeting the parents (help required!!)

[miti]

I hope it doesn't include peas (I hate them) or nuts because I m badly allergic to them and can' be anywhere near nuts.

Lefty, if you are allergic to nuts just say it - food allergies are a very common thing in Finland (more than any other place I have lived in) and everyone would understand it. It is completely understandable you want the meeting to go well but you really shouldn't go over your way about it. Don't try to change who you are for them. Just show them the polite version of yourself and that should be enough

[Lefty]

miti wrote

food allergies are a very common thing in Finland

Thank Godness!! not that allergies are a good thing, but thank God that
people will understand! Thanks miti, that makes a whole lot of difference.Thiasnut allergy has always been an issue when going to peoples houses for dinner or lunch.

One of the reasons why I thought moving to Finland is a good idea is because the tax laws in England are out of this world! I lose 50% of my annual income to tax and I am sick of it. My boyfriend said that I would only loose not more than 35% in Finland at the same salary, and to me that 15% extra that I get back would mean alot. then maybe I can use this 15% to buy fruit which I so desperately need.

[Hank W.]

But your annual income will probably be 50% less anyhow...

[acwan]

This is the first time I've heard of anyone wanting to move here for tax reasons.

[Hank W.]

- Why are you here?
- I came here for the lower taxes.
- Aha...
(shuffle)

great way to keep space in bars

[Lefty]

I am coming to Finland because as it is my boyfriend and I dont see each other as much as we would like due to his job, my job and living arrangements. I love him and want to be with him and the only way to maximise this is by moving in with him in Finland.

I'm also doing it for the lower taxes!

Hank W wrote:

But your annual income will probably be 50% less anyhow...

I will still be being paid by my current employers, because I will still work for them but will be taxed under Finnish rules because I will be residing there permanently. So my salary will stay the same (or I will get a raise for being the only brave one to branch out! )

[acwan]

One of the reasons why I thought moving to Finland is a good idea is because the tax laws in England are out of this world! I lose 50% of my annual income to tax and I am sick of it. My boyfriend said that I would only loose not more than 35% in Finland at the same salary, and to me that 15% extra that I get back would mean alot. then maybe I can use this 15% to buy fruit which I so desperately need.

If you're talking about the "Nokia" tax break for foreign expats, I believe it's good for 2 years. (Then it immediately ratchets up to 50-60% again.)

[Hank W.]

If you're talking about the "Nokia" tax break for foreign expats, I believe it's good for 2 years. (Then it immediately ratchets up to 50-60% again.)

And its only available for working for a Finnish company/institution in the top brass and so forth.
http://www.vero.fi/nc/doc/download.asp?id=2873;148737
=> "Foreign key persons"

[Lefty]

the company is British and is expanding over to Finland. So hopefully the 33.5% tax will stay.

Xochiquetzal wrote

... in LA. You couldn't even go into a supermarket without full makeup and formal attire.

the same is true for England. When my boyfriend came to meet my parents he found it strange that when he said lets go to the supermarket to buy milk I would whip out my make-up bag and start applying it. he would say "we are only going to the shops!" I would say "ONLY?". over here make up is essential, image, etc.


and about the sex before marriage thing, my parents ask my boyfriend IN FRONT OF ME ( I was sooooooo embarrassed) , we refused outright but that wasn't exactly the truth, its kind of a shock even up to now in some (alot) families in England.

[acwan]

the company is British and is expanding over to Finland. So hopefully the 33.5% tax will stay.

Don't forget to add another 15-20% for the municipal (city) tax. (For instance, Tampere's local tax rate was 18% as of 2004.) I am guessing that your wages will probably also be deducted for pension and unemployment insurance (perhaps another 5%?).

If you're in the top income bracket, this means your total annual income tax, pension and insurance withholding will likely come out to be around (33.5+18+5=) 56.5%.

Just to give you a more realistic idea of what to expect.

[Lefty]

actually, its still not too bad because my boyfriend and I can share the council tax, and because he is a muscian apparently they are taxed under different rules so he pays less in tax than I will, so he should be more than willing to pay for the council tax

[acwan]

So what is your job going to be?

[Hank W.]

actually, its still not too bad because my boyfriend and I can share the council tax, and because he is a muscian apparently they are taxed under different rules so he pays less in tax than I will, so he should be more than willing to pay for the council tax

No you don't understand. Its calculated within the income tax; thres government tax and municipal tax. Its not a separate payment.

[luoto]

Why are there so many allergies in Finland (compared to other EU lands that I have been in). It seems almost everyone (exaggeration) is allergic to some food or animals. If it was the USA I would think it was some attention deficit disorder, but where's the Finnish SISU gone?

[RA]

Why are there so many allergies in Finland (compared to other EU lands that I have been in). It seems almost everyone (exaggeration) is allergic to some food or animals. If it was the USA I would think it was some attention deficit disorder, but where's the Finnish SISU gone?

They say it's because the environment has been stripped of so many agents. Call it being overhygienic? So people aren't exposed at an early age to these agents, their bodies don't develop immunity or responses. Later on if they're exposed to them then their bodies react in way refered to as an allergy.