Living in Crete || BritsinCrete Blog
LivingInCrete: Stuff for British and Irish Expats Living in Greece, the reality of day-to-day life: Jobs in Crete, Buying Property, Holiday Letting, Insurance, Work, Retirement, Health, or just lazing on the beach in the sun away from it all.
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UK Pensions Alert : Brits in Crete Blog
2012-03-20 05:03:00
For Your UK Pension have you applied the lifetime allowance to your full benefit?The UK's #Pensions Advisory Service in its latest newsletter to British retirees and ex-pats says that HM Revenue & Customs' officials are surprised over the low number of people who have applied to protect their pension fund following the government's decision to cut the lifetime allowance.The #lifetime allowance will be reduced from £1.8 million to £1.5m from April 6 2012 (it had been creeping up over recent years). Savers have until 5 April 2012 to apply for fixed protection to retain the £1.8m allowance for their fund.Failure to apply for fixed protection will result in savings above £1.5m being taxed at 55 per cent, potentially costing British investors hundreds of thousands of pounds.Mo
2012-03-20 05:03:00
For Your UK Pension have you applied the lifetime allowance to your full benefit?The UK's #Pensions Advisory Service in its latest newsletter to British retirees and ex-pats says that HM Revenue & Customs' officials are surprised over the low number of people who have applied to protect their pension fund following the government's decision to cut the lifetime allowance.The #lifetime allowance will be reduced from £1.8 million to £1.5m from April 6 2012 (it had been creeping up over recent years). Savers have until 5 April 2012 to apply for fixed protection to retain the £1.8m allowance for their fund.Failure to apply for fixed protection will result in savings above £1.5m being taxed at 55 per cent, potentially costing British investors hundreds of thousands of pounds.Mo
CRB :: Are You Safe From Background Checks?
2012-03-15 04:20:00
Britsin Crete received its regular newsletter from privacy web site, www.freebooter.com today. This edition reports that "Big Brother Watch" exposed the astonishing fact that during 2011 nearly 3 million Criminal Record Background (CRB) checks were carried out on British residents and citizens by 3,924 registered bodies.If you are statistically minded you'll notice that represents is 1 in 17 of us Brits! Two organizations stand out for their substantial use of CRB checking. One is a company, Atlantic Data. Staff there carried out more than 180,000 checks alone. And if you have connections to Essex you will not be pleased to know to they used the CRB check service 21,908 times in 2011 - the highest of any local authority in the United Kingdom. Are you aware tha
2012-03-15 04:20:00
Britsin Crete received its regular newsletter from privacy web site, www.freebooter.com today. This edition reports that "Big Brother Watch" exposed the astonishing fact that during 2011 nearly 3 million Criminal Record Background (CRB) checks were carried out on British residents and citizens by 3,924 registered bodies.If you are statistically minded you'll notice that represents is 1 in 17 of us Brits! Two organizations stand out for their substantial use of CRB checking. One is a company, Atlantic Data. Staff there carried out more than 180,000 checks alone. And if you have connections to Essex you will not be pleased to know to they used the CRB check service 21,908 times in 2011 - the highest of any local authority in the United Kingdom. Are you aware tha
Do You Get #Nomophobia?
2012-02-18 08:23:00
#Nomophobia - Do You Suffer from it? Brits coined a new word: "Nomophobia" - the fear of being without their mobile hand phone and therefore being out of contact with others. In Britain the fear is getting worse according to a most recent set of survey results by SecurEnvoy.com in a press release of February 16th. Some 70 per cent of women and 61 per cent of men have nomophobia compared to a 2008 survey that showed that men were worse at 58 per cent and women at 48 per cent.It was at that UK Post Office survey commissioned through YouGov that the term Nomophobia was coined, as an abbreviation for "no-mobile-phone phobia". According to wikipedia.com, that study found that nearly 53 percent of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they "lose their mobile phone, run out of bat
2012-02-18 08:23:00
#Nomophobia - Do You Suffer from it? Brits coined a new word: "Nomophobia" - the fear of being without their mobile hand phone and therefore being out of contact with others. In Britain the fear is getting worse according to a most recent set of survey results by SecurEnvoy.com in a press release of February 16th. Some 70 per cent of women and 61 per cent of men have nomophobia compared to a 2008 survey that showed that men were worse at 58 per cent and women at 48 per cent.It was at that UK Post Office survey commissioned through YouGov that the term Nomophobia was coined, as an abbreviation for "no-mobile-phone phobia". According to wikipedia.com, that study found that nearly 53 percent of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they "lose their mobile phone, run out of bat
#Greece Default Watch. What Historic Greek German Tensions
2012-02-18 06:33:00
#Greece Default Watch. Historic Greek German Tensions?Greece Default Watch. With a definitive solution to the Greek Euro crisis expected on Monday (February 20th), it makes you wonder what the Germans really seek out of the deal. The Brits have been pretty diplomatic with their comments on Greece but the Germans are being seen to outright hostile. The German position is extremely ironic in that the German banks and German companies have profited hugely in business dealings with loans to the Greeks over the years. Look how LIDL (headquartered in Germany) has a significant share of the supermarket sector in Greece currently. How much of LIDL's profit is repatriated to head office and not retained in Greece?The issue of what Asians call "Giving Face" is pointedly taken up in this clip of the
2012-02-18 06:33:00
#Greece Default Watch. Historic Greek German Tensions?Greece Default Watch. With a definitive solution to the Greek Euro crisis expected on Monday (February 20th), it makes you wonder what the Germans really seek out of the deal. The Brits have been pretty diplomatic with their comments on Greece but the Germans are being seen to outright hostile. The German position is extremely ironic in that the German banks and German companies have profited hugely in business dealings with loans to the Greeks over the years. Look how LIDL (headquartered in Germany) has a significant share of the supermarket sector in Greece currently. How much of LIDL's profit is repatriated to head office and not retained in Greece?The issue of what Asians call "Giving Face" is pointedly taken up in this clip of the
Living in Crete :: NS&I Cut Deposit Interest Rate
2012-01-26 05:56:00
As if the value of the Pound Sterling versus the Euro was miserable enough these days, National Savings and Investments (NS&I) from January 25, 2012 have dropped the interest rate on Direct Savings deposits in Sterling from 1.75% gross/AER to 1.50% gross/AER.The NS&I move is just another blow for those Brit ex-pats living in Greece who live off a fixed retirement income. Faced with local cost of living rises on basic food items, it is understandable that a number of Brits across Greece have decided to upsticks and move back to the UK where they can claim benefits that the Greek welfare system is cutting back on, they were not eligible for, in the first place.For the latest news on cost of living in Crete please visit the Brits in Crete Forum. Join in the discussions there wit
2012-01-26 05:56:00
As if the value of the Pound Sterling versus the Euro was miserable enough these days, National Savings and Investments (NS&I) from January 25, 2012 have dropped the interest rate on Direct Savings deposits in Sterling from 1.75% gross/AER to 1.50% gross/AER.The NS&I move is just another blow for those Brit ex-pats living in Greece who live off a fixed retirement income. Faced with local cost of living rises on basic food items, it is understandable that a number of Brits across Greece have decided to upsticks and move back to the UK where they can claim benefits that the Greek welfare system is cutting back on, they were not eligible for, in the first place.For the latest news on cost of living in Crete please visit the Brits in Crete Forum. Join in the discussions there wit
Irish State Pension - Same for 2012 as 2011
2011-12-26 01:52:00
Irish State Pension (Contributory)Wishing you Nollaig shona = Happy Christmas.This was going to be an interesting tidbit of a blog article on state pension increases in #Ireland for 2012, useful info for Irish ex-pats living in Greece and Cyprus and elsewhere. Sadly, according to the Finance Minister's 2012 budget, the state pension payments look set to stay the same from April 6, 2012 as they do currently.That means someone who has paid 48 years or more of contributions will continue to receive €230.30 in Irish State Pension (Contributory).There is a small blessing that some of the contribution amounts are to be reduced for those who are coming up to actual retirement. These and other retirement matters are being presented to the Irish Parliament in Dublin for approval for the amendment
2011-12-26 01:52:00
Irish State Pension (Contributory)Wishing you Nollaig shona = Happy Christmas.This was going to be an interesting tidbit of a blog article on state pension increases in #Ireland for 2012, useful info for Irish ex-pats living in Greece and Cyprus and elsewhere. Sadly, according to the Finance Minister's 2012 budget, the state pension payments look set to stay the same from April 6, 2012 as they do currently.That means someone who has paid 48 years or more of contributions will continue to receive €230.30 in Irish State Pension (Contributory).There is a small blessing that some of the contribution amounts are to be reduced for those who are coming up to actual retirement. These and other retirement matters are being presented to the Irish Parliament in Dublin for approval for the amendment
A Greek Thank You
2011-12-25 23:21:00
A Greek Thank YouIt is that time of year again, if you are part of a team or group anywhere in Greece, Cyprus or in the Greek Diaspora, you have a golden opportunity to express your thanks for their support and contribution.A simple thank you, is fine.But how much better if you take that one step further. How about a thank you in Greek. Of course this could be in the Greek areas of London, Melbourne or Crete, Illinois when you visit a Greek owned establishment.How to write and say "thank you" in Greek. Colloquially it goes like this:A simple "Thanks" -- EfaristoThanks very much -- Efaristo poliThanks very very much (highly appreciated) -- Efaristo para poliEfaristo -- is pronounced eff-are-ee-sto (the "sto" is as in stone, stoke, the Cotswold place name, Stow-on-the-Wold). Actually it i
2011-12-25 23:21:00
A Greek Thank YouIt is that time of year again, if you are part of a team or group anywhere in Greece, Cyprus or in the Greek Diaspora, you have a golden opportunity to express your thanks for their support and contribution.A simple thank you, is fine.But how much better if you take that one step further. How about a thank you in Greek. Of course this could be in the Greek areas of London, Melbourne or Crete, Illinois when you visit a Greek owned establishment.How to write and say "thank you" in Greek. Colloquially it goes like this:A simple "Thanks" -- EfaristoThanks very much -- Efaristo poliThanks very very much (highly appreciated) -- Efaristo para poliEfaristo -- is pronounced eff-are-ee-sto (the "sto" is as in stone, stoke, the Cotswold place name, Stow-on-the-Wold). Actually it i
Ex-pat Living :: UK State Pension Up for 2012-2013
2011-12-24 23:00:00
The 2012-2013 UK Basic State Pension Increasing to £107.45Merry Christmas to our British and Irish ex-pats living in #Greece and #Cyprus. This is a good news blog today. If you have not caught the announcement, in the UK, the Basic State Pension is going to rise by 5.2% or £5.30 to £107.45 from the start of the new financial year, 2012-2013. This means the first Monday in the year should be April 9, 2012 when the increase applies. The same for other allowances and increases.As you know this current London government is now using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the benchmark for inflation-linked increases. This means that the basic state pension increases each April depending on the increase in earnings, CPI or 2.5%, whichever is greater. September 2011, the inflation rate was 5.2
2011-12-24 23:00:00
The 2012-2013 UK Basic State Pension Increasing to £107.45Merry Christmas to our British and Irish ex-pats living in #Greece and #Cyprus. This is a good news blog today. If you have not caught the announcement, in the UK, the Basic State Pension is going to rise by 5.2% or £5.30 to £107.45 from the start of the new financial year, 2012-2013. This means the first Monday in the year should be April 9, 2012 when the increase applies. The same for other allowances and increases.As you know this current London government is now using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the benchmark for inflation-linked increases. This means that the basic state pension increases each April depending on the increase in earnings, CPI or 2.5%, whichever is greater. September 2011, the inflation rate was 5.2
Greek Mayor vs Spanish Mayor :: What is the Difference?
2011-12-05 01:40:00
Greek Mayor vs Spanish Mayor :: What is the Difference?#Greek Default Watch. Living on #Crete for the ex-pat community can have its comic relief in the economic story befallen #Greece as this narrative shows:Some years ago, a small rural town in Spain twinned with a similar town in Greece. The mayor of the Greek town visited the Spanish town. When he saw the palatial mansion belonging to the Spanish mayor, he wondered how he could afford such a house.The Spaniard said, "You see that bridge over there? The EU gave us a grant to build a two-lane bridge, but by building a single-lane bridge with traffic lights at either end, this house could be built."The following year, the Spaniard visited the Greek town. He was simply amazed at the Greek mayor's house ... gold taps, marble floors, it was
2011-12-05 01:40:00
Greek Mayor vs Spanish Mayor :: What is the Difference?#Greek Default Watch. Living on #Crete for the ex-pat community can have its comic relief in the economic story befallen #Greece as this narrative shows:Some years ago, a small rural town in Spain twinned with a similar town in Greece. The mayor of the Greek town visited the Spanish town. When he saw the palatial mansion belonging to the Spanish mayor, he wondered how he could afford such a house.The Spaniard said, "You see that bridge over there? The EU gave us a grant to build a two-lane bridge, but by building a single-lane bridge with traffic lights at either end, this house could be built."The following year, the Spaniard visited the Greek town. He was simply amazed at the Greek mayor's house ... gold taps, marble floors, it was
#Greece Default Watch :: Chania Office Refuses To Accept Tax Payment
2011-11-17 22:07:00
#Greece Default Watch :: Chania Tax Office Refuses Car Tax Payment, Why?What is going on? You'll Never Believe the Reason#Greece Default Watch. A resident british ex-pat in #Crete was keen to pay his 2012 Vehicle Road Tax (known as the car tax) with a deadline of end of December 2011 so he took off in his car down to his local #Chania Tax collection office. Cash ready in hand, his offer of payment was refused. The reason? The forms are not yet ready! That was mid November!While I appreciate Brits sometimes like to clear their debts early and not have to worry any more over getting a payment settled, especially older members of society, it is appalling that with Greece in such a deep financial state of affairs they still cannot get their act together to promptly collect payments to fill
2011-11-17 22:07:00
#Greece Default Watch :: Chania Tax Office Refuses Car Tax Payment, Why?What is going on? You'll Never Believe the Reason#Greece Default Watch. A resident british ex-pat in #Crete was keen to pay his 2012 Vehicle Road Tax (known as the car tax) with a deadline of end of December 2011 so he took off in his car down to his local #Chania Tax collection office. Cash ready in hand, his offer of payment was refused. The reason? The forms are not yet ready! That was mid November!While I appreciate Brits sometimes like to clear their debts early and not have to worry any more over getting a payment settled, especially older members of society, it is appalling that with Greece in such a deep financial state of affairs they still cannot get their act together to promptly collect payments to fill