Another moving thread :)

Hi James,

it sounds as if you are in the perfect situation to make the move to Malta. Moneywise you should be fine!

You should loook at some of the quieter areas around Sliema/St. Julians like Swieqi,Kappara or San Gwann or even directls in Sliema. There are quieter localities there too.

You don't really need a car in Malta. The Arriva buses are quite efficient to get around, even in the evenings and at night. I have a car but am using busses more and more.

With an ID card it is quite easy to open a bank account.

I don't want to comment on the tax business . It is always best to get professional advice. Good professional advice is not expensive in Malta.

Cheers
Ricky

Hiya James,

Totally agree with Ricky and to be honest what a great position you are in.

Yes, travel to the Island as it is very much a Marmite country and you may prefer the other Mediterranean Islands instead...

Business Wise George would recommend a guy for you are he is pretty up on the Tax laws around Malta, from what I have heard around it may be better tax wise to register in Malta or pay tax in Malta, But yet again a good tax person is needed, there is KPMG, Price Waterhouse Cooper and others on the Island as well as smaller independents.

St Julians, Buggiba, Sliema are bustling busy areas, realistically you can be anywhere within 20-30 minutes, so even being in the sticks will only mean a 20-30 minute ride to a more busier place.

Toon lives in Melleiha which is at the north of the Island and is a nice area,  live in the South which is cheaper and a lot quieter apart from Weekends when the Maltese come to visit the beach and I love the Quietness again though only 25 minutes from St Julians or Valletta.

Good Luck with your choices

Julian

Mellieha is indeed nice and can be quiet too - its not too overrun with visitors...except for the beaches which are as much busy with our maltese hosts as well as visitors. But its a little hit n miss getting to the busier areas from here on the bus...as by the time the bus gets to your stop it usually full of tourists going to the same place you are...so beware of that.

In general though the buses are far better now than they were  ayear ago and certainly (in my opinion) superior than the old buses that Malta was famous for, although they still breakdown just as much...you see the chinese are not so clever after all LOL

accountant - can recommend John Huber - (ex KPMG, now setup his own firm) - I've used him for 10 years

http://www.johnhubermalta.com/

As you would be working from home, I'd also consider living in Gozo - its generally quieter and much less populated than Malta, and renting is generally cheaper.

Ghajnsielem is ideal for someone without a car - good bus service, and in walking distance of the ferry to Malta. I'd also suggest looking at Nadur

thanks very much for responding!
I will be back with more questions, no doubt, but for now I'll go away and read up on everything you've all told me.

Thanks again

Just want to thank everyone for their input last July. I'm making preparations to visit Malta in March of this year and I'm just looking into Hostels at the moment.

I plan on staying for a few weeks initially, and was wondering if any of you have any recommendations as to what I should do/see?

petsounds wrote:

Just want to thank everyone for their input last July. I'm making preparations to visit Malta in March of this year and I'm just looking into Hostels at the moment.

I plan on staying for a few weeks initially, and was wondering if any of you have any recommendations as to what I should do/see?

Where to start? There is so much!! It also depends upon your preferences.

History?
Art/Culture?
Archaeology?  See below*
Architecture?
Diving/sailing?
Photography?
Food/Wine?
Shopping?

* I recommend this book:
Title: Malta Prehistory and Temples.
Author: David H Trump
ISBN: 99909-93-94-7
Midsea Books (Heritage Malta)

Here are some links to it:

http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/M … edir_esc=y

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Malta-Prehistor … amp;sr=1-1

I also found this which may be of interest to you:

http://www.mlongo.net/files/europes_old … zation.pdf

Let us know your preferences so we can be more specific.
Definitely take a day or two to visit Gozo.

I don't know the double taxation situation between Malta and England but it shall not bee too different than compared to other EU countries.
For the first 6 months (183 days) you are tax free in Malta and later on you will be classed as Ordinary Resident who needs to pay tax - but then you are tax free in England.

This should be enough time to start living in Malta and to find out if it's the right thing for you.
If so, you can easily relocate your business to here otherwise you can return home to England with new personal experiences but without any changes to your business.

Life will teach you not to act rashly

Markus

matm911 wrote:

For the first 6 months (183 days) you are tax free in Malta and later on you will be classed as Ordinary Resident who needs to pay tax -

not quite right - if you live in Malta for more than 180 ish days (can't remember the exact number, but its between 180 and 183) in a calendar year, you are tax resident, so it depends on when you arrive.

You could arrive mid-July one year and leave mid- june and not be liable to tax in Malta

georgeingozo wrote:

(can't remember the exact number, but its between 180 and 183) in a calendar year, you are tax resident, so it depends on when you arrive.

you're right, should be less, 183 days are already more than 50% of the year ... anyhow, it also makes a difference if you are taxable as person (e.g. employee) or as company/self-employed person.

But I don't want to stress my brain with things I don't know.
I prefer earning euros with things I know and spending some of them on the specialists with knowledge of other matters

Markus

Agree, a little tweaking of ones circumstances can make all the difference to tax liability

georgeingozo wrote:

You could arrive mid-July one year and leave mid- june and not be liable to tax in Malta

But, that's more then 180 days? How it is possible not be liable to tax then?

redmik wrote:

Where to start? There is so much!! It also depends upon your preferences.

History?
Art/Culture?
Archaeology?  See below*
Architecture?
Diving/sailing?
Photography?
Food/Wine?
Shopping?

* I recommend this book:
Title: Malta Prehistory and Temples.
Author: David H Trump
ISBN: 99909-93-94-7
Midsea Books (Heritage Malta)

Here are some links to it:

Let us know your preferences so we can be more specific.
Definitely take a day or two to visit Gozo.

Thanks for the book recommendation. I will grab a copy.

As for preferences, I have an interest in everything you mentioned, and I just wanted to know if any residents have any favourites that they'd suggest, such as particular sights, restaurants or activities.

I would definitely like to try diving and sailing. Is this something I can easily organise when I arrive in March, or do I need to book ahead of time?

If I were in your situation I'd be considering somewhere cheaper and more exotic like Southeast Asia. You can always come to Malta when schooling and healthcare become priorities.

lambada wrote:

If I were in your situation I'd be considering somewhere cheaper and more exotic like Southeast Asia. You can always come to Malta when schooling and healthcare become priorities.

At this point in time I'm only visiting Malta for a few weeks. I intend on spending at least the rest of the year traveling, and SE Asia is on my radar.

petsounds wrote:

lambada wrote:

If I were in your situation I'd be considering somewhere cheaper and more exotic like Southeast Asia. You can always come to Malta when schooling and healthcare become priorities.

At this point in time I'm only visiting Malta for a few weeks. I intend on spending at least the rest of the year traveling, and SE Asia is on my radar.

Oh! To be young again

maltamark wrote:

But, that's more then 180 days? How it is possible not be liable to tax then?

Because the tax year is from Jan to Dec, so the first year you spend only 5,5 months (mid-july to dec) in Malta and the second year also (jan to mid-june).

But you will have a tax issue in some other country then ...

matm911 wrote:

But you will have a tax issue in some other country then ...

not necessarily - all depends on the timing

its possible to be tax resident nowhere

eg take 3 countries like Malta, which have Jan-Dec tax year, and 6 month qualifying period to be tax resident. you spend 4 months in each

georgeingozo wrote:

You could arrive mid-July one year and leave mid- june and not be liable to tax in Malta

mid-July TILL mid- june = 11 months !?

tax year is Jan-Dec, so less than 180 days residence in each tax year