RetireJapan

OkLah! wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:09 am Everything I read is sensible.

My point was more on what Type of decisions the government could make in the future that would only apply to non-Japanese passport holders.

Could they reduce pension just for us? Increase taxes just for us? Am I going too far in thinking like this?

At the same time any country has the right to change the rules so maybe my concern is more on the world becoming less open, less globalized...which for a mixed couple is not the best outcome!

I get your worries. In my darker moments I share them. I would file hugely detrimental foreigner specific tax and pension changes under ‘highly unlikely’ though. I think they would want to hammer everyone in such a situation!

Beaglehound wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:59 am

OkLah! wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:09 am Everything I read is sensible.

My point was more on what Type of decisions the government could make in the future that would only apply to non-Japanese passport holders.

Could they reduce pension just for us? Increase taxes just for us? Am I going too far in thinking like this?

At the same time any country has the right to change the rules so maybe my concern is more on the world becoming less open, less globalized...which for a mixed couple is not the best outcome!

I get your worries. In my darker moments I share them. I would file hugely detrimental foreigner specific tax and pension changes under ‘highly unlikely’ though. I think they would want to hammer everyone in such a situation!

I worry about this stuff too - - not just the government here reducing pension but the UK government maybe stopping payments to overseas residents etc. Highly unlikely, I hope, and just one of those worries that pops into my head when I am trying to get to sleep! However, such things wouldn't be that hard to imagine because the general population in each country likely wouldn't give a second thought to it. It's like the rules for bringing a foreign spouse home to the UK - WE care deeply about it, but most people in the UK honestly couldn't care less about this little rule which doesn't affect them in the slightest.

You are spot on regarding immigration, the draconian system was put in place in plain sight under governments from all three major UK-wide parties with barely a whimper, apart from the Guardian.

On disadvantaging overseas residents, the government has pledged in this parliament to extend voting rights to Brits overseas beyond the current 15 years, which I don’t actually agree with as a policy, but would seem to make such shenanigans less likely.

Beaglehound wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 12:41 pm On disadvantaging overseas residents, the government has pledged in this parliament to extend voting rights to Brits overseas beyond the current 15 years, which I don’t actually agree with as a policy, but would seem to make such shenanigans less likely.

That pledge was first made in the Conservative Manifesto of 2014, so I wouldn't hold my breath

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 3:39 pm

Beaglehound wrote: ↑Sun Aug 09, 2020 12:41 pm On disadvantaging overseas residents, the government has pledged in this parliament to extend voting rights to Brits overseas beyond the current 15 years, which I don’t actually agree with as a policy, but would seem to make such shenanigans less likely.

That pledge was first made in the Conservative Manifesto of 2014, so I wouldn't hold my breath

For some reason it was introduced as a private member’s bill in the last parliament and some Tory or other filibustered it. Johnson is promising a government bill this time around so with his majority I would expect to see it happen. I guess Brits overseas must have an older/richer demographic makeup so good voting fodder for the Tories.

I had my hopes up that they would get that done in time for the Brexit referendum. Surprise, surprise, still hasn't happened.

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:39 am I had my hopes up that they would get that done in time for the Brexit referendum. Surprise, surprise, still hasn't happened.

I think that was the issue last time around, ERG types fearing that the bill could enfranchise EU residents and sway any potential second Brexit referendum. I get your scepticism and circumstances can change quickly as we have all seen recently, but I don’t see any current impediments to this happening. We’ll see

EU residents have never been able to vote in national elections in the UK.

The big issue I think with giving ex pats the vote after 15 years is that it might make the government have to start unfreezing the state pension to all the expats who live in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan...

Wales4rugbyWC19 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:41 am EU residents have never been able to vote in national elections in the UK.

The big issue I think with giving ex pats the vote after 15 years is that it might make the government have to start unfreezing the state pension to all the expats who live in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan...

Yeah sorry, I meant people from the UK who reside in the EU.