Working in the UAE?

BigBraveBear

Hi all. I've just moved to work in the UAE, and earning money tax free. Anyone have any experience of working here? Will the irish taxman come after me when I go home? Is it a good idea to keep my money in my UAE bank account for this reason?

Chinasea

Did Irish Tax payers not help pay for the free education we provide in this country that no doubt helped you qualify for the job in the UAE?

BigBraveBear

I'll be delighted to pay tax at such time as I can find a job in Ireland, which in my line of work wont be for at least 10 years.
Anyway the cost of living is so high out here that its only worth my while working here if my salary is tax free. If Im taxed in ireland I will actually be loosing money

Hail 2 Da Thief

Have you not heard? We are now called the Republic of IMF! Ireland no longer exists.

Seriously though, what makes you think the Irish taxman will be coming after you? You live/work in a different country now.

standardtoaster

BigBraveBear wrote: »

Hi all. I've just moved to work in the UAE, and earning money tax free. Anyone have any experience of working here? Will the irish taxman come after me when I go home? Is it a good idea to keep my money in my UAE bank account for this reason?

Hey Op slightly off topic but,

strongly thinking on heading out to UAE myself!

How did you go about sourcing your job before you went out?

Cheers

JohnMearsheimer

Don't worry, the Irish taxman will not be coming after you.

myflipflops

BigBraveBear wrote: »

Hi all. I've just moved to work in the UAE, and earning money tax free. Anyone have any experience of working here? Will the irish taxman come after me when I go home? Is it a good idea to keep my money in my UAE bank account for this reason?

No.

I saw a tax consultant before I came out here to work and you are not liable to taxation in Ireland if your income is generated completely outside Irish territory. I will actually be getting paid into my Irish bank account

Chinasea wrote: »

Did Irish Tax payers not help pay for the free education we provide in this country that no doubt helped you qualify for the job in the UAE?

Seriously, what's with all the idiots on boards thinking that emigration is some kind of crime and that getting an education in Ireland somehow means you should be obliged to stay there?

It's pretty accepted that the country NEEDS people to emigrate.

Lambsbread

I've been living in Abu Dhabi for the last 8 months. Will you be based here or in Dubai?

It is a nice place to live. The climate is good for about 8 months of the year, but far too hot in the summer time. It is very clean and safe and even quite liberal compared to other countries in the Middle East. There are plenty of things to do in the region. I have really got into diving and kite surfing. There are also many good restaurants and nice bars, although nightclubs tend to be more like brothels. I have been to Dubai a few times and the nightlife seems to be far better there than in Abu Dhabi and it is only an hour and half by car.

There are some downsides as well. Ramadan is a tough month, especially next year when it will fall in the summertime. It is also a different culture than can take a bit of adjustment also. There are a large number of migrant Indian and Pakistani workers here and they tend to be quite rude and unhelpful at times. It is also a place I would never imagine settling and am actually moving back to Europe before Christmas.

In terms of tax, there should be no issues with the taxman, as you will be a UAE resident, working and getting paid in the UAE. However, other people maybe better placed to give advice on this.

However, overall I enjoyed the experience and for a couple of years it is a good experience and a great chance to travel in the region.

Lambsbread

Chinasea wrote: »

Did Irish Tax payers not help pay for the free education we provide in this country that no doubt helped you qualify for the job in the UAE?

Seriously, save this for the Politics forum. Is it better for us to stay on the dole in Ireland or actually develop our skills abroad?? I really want to move back to Ireland but there is very little opportunities there at the moment.

FruitLover

Chinasea wrote: »

Did Irish Tax payers not help pay for the free education we provide in this country that no doubt helped you qualify for the job in the UAE?

Did Irish tax payers not vote in the current shower of muppets who bollixed things up so much that now everyone wants to emigrate?

keithclancy

BigBraveBear wrote: »

Hi all. I've just moved to work in the UAE, and earning money tax free. Anyone have any experience of working here? Will the irish taxman come after me when I go home? Is it a good idea to keep my money in my UAE bank account for this reason?

Nope,

Theres a Tax Treaty in place:
http://www.revenue.ie/en/press/2010/pr-020710-signature.html

Any income you earn in UAE is not subject to Irish tax.

Chinasea

Lambsbread wrote: »

Seriously, save this for the Politics forum. Is it better for us to stay on the dole in Ireland or actually develop our skills abroad?? I really want to move back to Ireland but there is very little opportunities there at the moment.

Seriously, the prevailing attitude in Ireland for the last few decades has been - lets skive off paying tax where we can, lets sue who we can, lets dump our waste where and when we can and let’s not give a focacia bout anything unless we are forced into it via our pockets as opposed to any morals or G forbid FORWARD collective thinking.

keithclancy

Chinasea wrote: »

Seriously, the prevailing attitude in Ireland for the last few decades has been - lets skive off paying tax where we can, lets sue who we can, lets dump our waste where and when we can and let’s not give a focacia bout anything unless we are forced into it via our pockets as opposed to any morals or G forbid FORWARD collective thinking.

Whats your point, you pay your taxes if any where you work, not where you live. If theres a Tax Treaty in place then you dont get taxed twice.

Should he donate money to the Government or something ?

Chinasea

keithclancy wrote: »

Whats your point, you pay your taxes if any where you work, not where you live. If theres a Tax Treaty in place then you dont get taxed twice.
?

The Danish people recently when surveyed reported that they were happy to pay taxes as it was for the better of their country etc., we on the other hand will skive skive and skive our way out of paying any type of taxes or duties if given a chance and furthermore strongly resent paying for anything that we have to date taken for granted i.e. bin charges, impending water charges, FREE education.......

myflipflops

Chinasea wrote: »

The Danish people recently when surveyed reported that they were happy to pay taxes as it was for the better of their country etc., we on the other hand will skive skive and skive our way out of paying any type of taxes or duties if given a chance and furthermore strongly resent paying for anything that we have to date taken for granted i.e. bin charges, impending water charges, FREE education.......

Firstly, unemployed or under-employed people pay zero or little tax towards those services you mentioned. This isn't a thread on how to avoid paying tax in Ireland, it's about avoiding double taxation. Why would somebody living and working abroad pay tax for services at home that they are not using? The fact that the country they move to has no income tax makes no difference to Ireland. If you live in the UAE, you adhere to their rules.

I would say your eloquent phrase of 'skive, skive and skive' would be relevant to somebody who had an opportunity to move abroad and work for a living but chose to stay unemployed in Ireland.

Do you genuinely think that all ex pats and emigrants should be paying tax to the Irish government despite not living there and not earning any of their money there?

I-Shot-Jr

Chinasea wrote: »

The Danish people recently when surveyed reported that they were happy to pay taxes as it was for the better of their country etc., we on the other hand will skive skive and skive our way out of paying any type of taxes or duties if given a chance and furthermore strongly resent paying for anything that we have to date taken for granted i.e. bin charges, impending water charges, FREE education.......

The Danish probably have a trustworthy government that they can rely on not to piss away the tax they pay.

TouchingVirus

Chinasea wrote: »

The Danish people recently when surveyed reported that they were happy to pay taxes as it was for the better of their country etc., we on the other hand will skive skive and skive our way out of paying any type of taxes or duties if given a chance and furthermore strongly resent paying for anything that we have to date taken for granted i.e. bin charges, impending water charges, FREE education.......

So what areas do you think the Danes could improve on?

Have they a bad Health Service? How is their education system? How about the transport network? And the water facilities and network, especially in the rural areas? Mostly good you say? Wow, I'd pay taxes for the better of the country too if I lived in Denmark, at least I see their taxes are used efficiently and providing top quality services.

Alas, this still isn't the place for this discussion - it's more suited to After Hours given your views, or maybe Politics at a stretch.

OP, best of luck with your time spent in the UAE. You don't have to worry about the taxman because the treaty is in place - ching, ching! :P

Chinasea

myflipflops wrote: »

No.

I saw a tax consultant before I came out here to work and you are not liable to taxation in Ireland if your income is generated completely outside Irish territory. I will actually be getting paid into my Irish bank account


Seriously, what's with all the idiots on boards thinking that emigration is some kind of crime and that getting an education in Ireland somehow means you should be obliged to stay there?

It's pretty accepted that the country NEEDS people to emigrate.

Interesting that you sought out a tax consultant before you fled with regards to your worries of having to pay any tax back to the country that educated you for FREE. That auld Me Fein attitude has served us really well......

myflipflops

Chinasea wrote: »

Interesting that you sought out a tax consultant before you fled with regards to your worries of having to pay any tax back to the country that educated you for FREE. That auld Me Fein attitude has served us really well......

I'm not a tax expert and I didn't know the laws about sending money back into the country. It made sense to get advice from an expert. I wasn't asking for ways of avoiding tax and attempting anything illegal, I was finding out the rules. I would consider going out of my way to make sure I didn't impinge on any Irish tax laws a pretty sensible move. I'm sure you being such a loyal Irish person, you volunteer to pay additional tax that you do not actually owe all the time.

I also didn't see one 'before i fled' as you put it. I spoke to one before moving money into an Irish account. You seem to have people like myself mixed up with those who used offshore accounts to avoid paying tax on money earned in Ireland.

Your continued use of the 'country that educated you for FREE' argument is getting old. It is also irrelevant. You have yet to point out how it would be advantageous to Irelands financial plight for people like myself or the OP to stay in the country. You are conveniently ignoring the fact that the country needs people to emigrate. All the government forecasts about the live register reducing in size are based much more on emigration than on job creation. In reality, you are talking complete nonsense and have resorted to continually repeating yourself to attempt to make a point.

I'll ask again - do you think Irish ex-pats should be paying tax to the Irish Government when they don't live there and don't earn their living their?

Chinasea

Flip de flops, I'm certainly not answerable to you..and ask that you keep things at least polite and if you continue to be rude then I will not answer at all.

Personally, however I feel answerable to the welfare of my country, my environment and my fellow citizens – of course this is only my personal stance and sadly in my opinion not the norm.

I take exception to the fact that some Irish citizens who have been educated for free once qualified depart the country and blatantly patrol forums enquiring as to ways they can avoid paying any type of tax back to the country that has educated them. I have a problem with that and I have a problem with the fact that you can’t see that that is a problem.

PS: I have done my time abroad in the last recession. Furthermore I didn’t see myself as some sort of martyr saving the county thousands on welfare by my absence – rather I enjoyed the experience and breaks that I received that enabled me to move upwards and onwards with my life but while I was away bettering myself, the fire was still lighting at home and that didn’t happen all by itself.

myflipflops

Chinasea wrote: »

Flip de flops, I'm certainly not answerable to you..and ask that you keep things at least polite and if you continue to be rude then I will not answer at all..

Where was I rude? If i was then I apologise but I can't see where. I generally attempt to be polite on the forums.

I didn't ask you to answerable for anything about yourself. You are putting forward a pretty harsh opinion of people like myself so I think the question I have put forward is relevant to your point. If you feel I should be paying tax in Ireland despite living and working elsewhere, you presumably have a good reason why.

Chinasea wrote: »

I take exception to the fact that some Irish citizens who have been educated for free once qualified depart the country and blatantly patrol forums enquiring as to ways they can avoid paying any type of tax back to the country that has educated them. I have a problem with that and I have a problem with the fact that you can’t see that that is a problem. ..

Blatantly avoiding tax that rightfully you should pay is something I disagree with strongly. I have a perfect record with regard to taxation in ireland. Inquiring as to the tax laws in Ireland is not really a bad thing however. Nobody here is trying to AVOID tax, they are simply wondering if they are liable to pay tax. This is an imprtant point. Nobody is avoiding anything that they should rightly pay.

Your language really puts a certain spin on this argument. I didn't leave once i finished my education. 5 years at home as a tax payer, 2 at the higher rate. I'm also not patrolling forums. I post in a number of forums here tha I have a direct interest. As an emigrant, this is one of them. I think I can be of relevant help to posters here and get some good advice back.

Chinasea wrote: »

PS: I have done my time abroad in the last recession. Furthermore I didn’t see myself as some sort of martyr saving the county thousands on welfare by my absence – rather I enjoyed the experience and breaks that I received that enabled me to move upwards and onwards with my life but while I was away bettering myself, the fire was still lighting at home and that didn’t happen all by itself.

You are twisting words here.

I don't see myself as some sort of martyr - nothing of the sort. I left as it was beneficial for my career and it was potentially a great life experience. At the same time, I am not the pariah that you are making emigrants out to be. My points regarding emigration being a necessity is not to try and claim credit that I did a great, selfless thing but to point out that it is not a negative thing for Ireland.

If you paid tax to Ireland while you were away, the fair play to you. As a gambling man, I would have a massive bet that you didn't though. Personally, I can't even think how I would go about paying tax in a country that I am not resident in. Your time abroad sounds suspiciously like mine. I left before the recession really kicked in hard and it was not a contributing factor in my decision.

I haven't abandoned Ireland. I really hope I will be back in a few years with money in the bank to put into the property market and maybe start a business. I hope there are still opportunities and jobs for me then.

Dr. Greenthumb

BigBraveBear wrote: »

Hi all. I've just moved to work in the UAE, and earning money tax free. Anyone have any experience of working here? Will the irish taxman come after me when I go home? Is it a good idea to keep my money in my UAE bank account for this reason?

Once your out of the Irish state for 187 days over one year (I think it's 12 month over two years) you are not liable for any tax bill back home. If you go back before that and they check you out you would have to pay the tax due on the money earned abroad.

helimachoptor

Chinasea wrote: »

Interesting that you sought out a tax consultant before you fled with regards to your worries of having to pay any tax back to the country that educated you for FREE. That auld Me Fein attitude has served us really well......

Jesus cop on, the chap may have paid tax for years already

Chinasea, whats your definition of a skive?? i've worked since i was 15 have 2 degrees and pay a boat load of tax. If i was moving abroad i'd be sure i wouldn't be paying tax back here.
You should be American, the IRS will come after you wherever you are for taxes.

Chinasea

helimachoptor wrote: »

you should be American, the IRS will come after you wherever you are for taxes.

perhaps the IRS have their act together a bit more then over this way so.

myflipflops

I'm pretty sure Americans living abroad do not have to pay tax in the States. Open to correction.


So here's the scenario you are looking for Chinasea: The Irish state somehow manage to tax all Irish emigrants who were educated in Ireland. They do this despite the fact that it is a) impossible as they have no jurisdiction in any other countries and b) it would probably be a prohibitively costly and time consuming process.

Suddenly all emigrants are losing a large chunk of their wage (lets say 25% for argument sake). Suddennow living outside Ireland for work is no longer cost effective for lots of emigrants. A big percentage of people will just head back home. That's obviously exactly what the labour market at home needs, another bunch of people seraching for work

Your views are pretty incomprehensible. They make no sense on any level. You have yet to put forward any viable argument to how taxing emigrants would help the economy in Ireland. There has been lots of labelling of people but no attempt at reasonable debate. As such, I will opt out now.

Chinasea

I don't think you are understanding my views or moreover the concept.

We should not have to be forced to pay tax - we should want to pay and I gave the Danish readiness as the example, all be it a total alien concept. I am not going to argue about the fantastic infrastructure in many of the Scandinavian countries and even in some of the harsh Eastern European countries. Again I believe a lot of this is down to the mentality and civic mindednesses of its citizens as opposed to the ‘me fein, attitude which I think is a major problem in this country.

In many of our neighbouring European countries you are given a loan to study and as soon as you are gainfully employed no matter where or when you must pay back the loan and a further small tax in some cases on this loan. We of course haven’t even got this practice in place which on the other hand, has been in existence for over 50 years in some of the Scandinavian countries.

templeville

hey there, i sepnd 5 years living and working in dubai and to be honest i hated the place, itis a big plastic bubble in the middle of the desert.

It is too hot for 6 months of the year, when it is cold you can wrap up and go out, when it is too hot you can do anything outside, it sucks. You go from an airconditioned apartment/villa to an a/c car to an a/c shoping mall.

The local people are ignorant and hypocritical, they travel around in their own little bubble and they are better off left alone; they are just trouble. You have no rights and if they decide to give you a hard time, they will and you will get shafted with little or no hope for any fair treatment. You will not pay tax but you forfeit any human rights.

You will have a much higher standard of living over there, you will eat out all the time, have maids, cleaners etc, drive a big f**k off SUV but your quality of living will drastically fall. The majority of people over there are chavs/knackers that at home would be binmen (no offenc against binmen) but over there they get a good job and think they are back in the colonial days. Honestly, people lose the run of themselves, they start thinking they deserve to be treated better becasue they are white and just turn into bores.

My view is slightly tainted but honestly the peole who do best over there are wannabes as they can live the dream; they are happy to ignore injustice, a tyranical rule, any depth of culture, WOEFUL traffic in return for shopping and eating out in flash hotels.

God, i sound bitter, i actualy got good opportunities over there to do the work i wanted but it is just not enough to balance out the crap you have to witness/put up with on a daily basis. Honestly, i hope the places sinks back into the baking sand from which it came!!

denali123

Oh dear , what an extremely racist and ignorant post .

I live in Dubai and the majority of people that I know and have come into contact with are not knackers or chavs . They are people who are seeking a better life for themselves .

Dubai is what you make of it like everywhere else .There is plenty to do and the weather is awesome for most of the year .

templeville

i think your mispelt your nick, i think it should be denial......

denali123

templeville wrote: »

i think your mispelt your nick, i think it should be denial......

no I don't think so . I am just not a typical Irish begrudger .

Calling the majority of people that live in Dubai knackers/chavs is ignorant .

I did not come on here for an argument , I just have a different opinion to yours which is equally as valid .

helimachoptor

myflipflops wrote: »

I'm pretty sure Americans living abroad do not have to pay tax in the States. Open to correction.

I think that if you are an american citizen the IRS will come after you if you pay less tax in the country you are in than you would if you were residing in the US, this is stuff i've read on the accountancy forum of boards so take it with a pinch.

ciaobellaciao1

I'm also interested in working in the UAE or in Qatar.

I work in the languages field (teaching / translation) but am a jack of all trades so wouldn't mind working in business, government, media, anywhere languages are a bonus really. I have fluent French, German and basic Arabic. What would be my chances of picking up a well-paid job there? And how much would I be able to save in a year? I know that salaries are negotiated on a case-by-case basis, but I'd like to get a rough monthly ball-park figure of what to expect.

From my current research, I see rents are quite high out there and buying is not that easy for expats so I'm wondering what disposable income is like at the end of the month. Can the money be paid into an Irish bank account? Are there any catches to earning a tax-free salary in Qatar for example? It just sounds too good to be true!

I'd be sharing with my husband (who is Muslim and of Arab origin), no kids. We are both EU citizens currently in the process of applying for visas.

Looking forward to hearing from anyone in a similar field already working in either UAE or Qatar. Cheers!

keithclancy

Chinasea wrote: »

Flip de flops, I'm certainly not answerable to you..and ask that you keep things at least polite and if you continue to be rude then I will not answer at all.

Personally, however I feel answerable to the welfare of my country, my environment and my fellow citizens – of course this is only my personal stance and sadly in my opinion not the norm.

I take exception to the fact that some Irish citizens who have been educated for free once qualified depart the country and blatantly patrol forums enquiring as to ways they can avoid paying any type of tax back to the country that has educated them. I have a problem with that and I have a problem with the fact that you can’t see that that is a problem.

PS: I have done my time abroad in the last recession. Furthermore I didn’t see myself as some sort of martyr saving the county thousands on welfare by my absence – rather I enjoyed the experience and breaks that I received that enabled me to move upwards and onwards with my life but while I was away bettering myself, the fire was still lighting at home and that didn’t happen all by itself.

This post is mad, you can't have it both ways .

I live in the Netherlands and work in Germany, I pay full income tax in Germany and pay no income tax in the Netherlands, that would just be stupid.

Tax Treaties are in place for a reason, i.e. so you do not pay tax twice (mainly income tax)

What am I supposed to do, Pay my German Taxes, then throw some money into the Dutch tax office and then when i'm back in Ireland fire a bit of money into the Revenue ?

You pay your Taxes where you work, unless you travel under a secondment agreement whereby you can work in another country for a limited amount of time and pay taxes at home.

You pay taxes indirectly on what you spend anyway and Ireland generates alot of its revenue from people spending money (Stamp Duty, VAT etc) If anything someone going abroad to work and coming back is going to generate more revenue for the government than sitting on their arse at home burning up Social Welfare.

3DataModem

Yes American citizens DO have to pay US income taxes even if living abroad. I work with a guy who pays income tax locally and then another 10 grand per annum or so to the US.

Bluefoam

Chinasea wrote: »

I don't think you are understanding my views or moreover the concept.

We should not have to be forced to pay tax - we should want to pay and I gave the Danish readiness as the example, all be it a total alien concept. I am not going to argue about the fantastic infrastructure in many of the Scandinavian countries and even in some of the harsh Eastern European countries. Again I believe a lot of this is down to the mentality and civic mindednesses of its citizens as opposed to the ‘me fein, attitude which I think is a major problem in this country.

In many of our neighbouring European countries you are given a loan to study and as soon as you are gainfully employed no matter where or when you must pay back the loan and a further small tax in some cases on this loan. We of course haven’t even got this practice in place which on the other hand, has been in existence for over 50 years in some of the Scandinavian countries.

No offense buddy, but the Irish state does not require ex-pats to pay tax on income they earn while living abroad, therefore they are not required to nor should they feel obliged to pay tax to the state.

The free (???) education in Ireland is funded by a majority of people in the country - the purpose is to fuel the knowledge economy - because the state has destroyed any prospects of a manufacturing economy. The educated workforce doesn't only benefit the individual, but also the entire state and its inhabitants though the benefits it provides to the economy. These graduates go out into the workforce & pay back into the tax system generating revenues for the state & aid in educating the next generation. Some will travel abroad and educate themselves further & many will return to Ireland - upskilled and cash rich & will add further benefits to our economy. They will also generate employment and wealth through their connection to Ireland on the international jobs market.

I was educated for free (???) in this country, for a manufacturing industry that no longer exists. I had to re-educate myself because our government abandoned me & I have paid more than enough tax to pay third level fees for a good portion of middle class in this country.

I will now leave the country, with no intention of paying any tax to the Irish people. I currently pay tax to pay for the bonuses of corrupt & failing banks and to support a government who continue to get rich off my hard work even though they are utterly corrupt. I will not support the Irish people who were happy to continuously re-elect a corrupt government, because those people were happy to benefit from that corruption.

To be honest Chinasea, your comments give me the impression that you are very naive & lack basic understanding of economy and tax systems. You are very confident in your beliefs, but not particularly well versed.

Chinasea

I happen to have a different point of view then you. I am in no way shape or form naive - as I have repeatedly stated and painfully tried to point out - the concepts I chart out may appear alien but they are far from naive.