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Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

bbc.com

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Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#131

Post by chewyland »

Iwan-Zotow wrote: post #92
_hao wrote: post #12

As a Bulgarian living and working in London for more than a year now, I have no intention of going back. The IT sector in the country is booming and the money you can make relative to the cost of living is insane - you can live like a king. To me that is not enough. Money are not enough to make me go back, even though I miss my friends and family. One of the biggest problems for me is that the country is stuck in thi…

> and Russian influence wtf are you talking about? you are in EU and NATO, what is the problem?

The problem is Russian influence. They continue to be locusts in EU countries and want everything to be bad and miserable and poor.

Source, Canadian living in BG for 6 years.

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#132

Post by feu »

StavrosK wrote: post #57
feu wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bulgaria also has amazing food and beaches in my opinion.

Hmm, possibly, I haven't visited extensively but the food in Bansko leaves something to be desired, I hear.

I haven't been to Bansko, but the food in Veliko Tarnovo and Ravda is great. The food in Sunny Beach was poor but I chalk that up to it being a resort area. I was lucky enough to enjoy a number of home-cooked meals as well, I really enjoyed every traditional dish I was served.

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#133

Post by middleload »

Zenst wrote: post #89
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And assuming the EU's freedom of movement holds eventually people and business will realize this and move there. Then they'll do what everyone else does shoot themselves in the foot by making everything expensive. Eventually the new growth will happen elsewhere and the cycle will repeat.

Interesting that you say that, lets look at Poland. They saw a decrease in skilled workers and young who moved around the EU for better opertunities. This saw many parts of Poland become ghost towns. This got to a head and the goverment in Poland got to the point that they introduced a new TAX system. One comparable to USA TAX for nationals in that it didn't matter what part of the World you lived in or earned your m…

This would infuriate me to no end. It's not enough that I'm forced to leave my home because of corruption and other problems? You dare come after me and ask for money? I would give up my citizenship the fastest I could.

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#135

Post by pdimitar »

probono322 wrote: post #122
hydraxis wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can pay the social insurance for the equivalent of the minimum salary (around 75€ monthly) and pay yourself a dividend. Personal tax on the dividends is 5%.

The minimum salary is about 280eu, how do you pay for 75eu?

TL;DR:

You can be registered in your own company as a manager on the minimum wage, pay a fixed sum of social insurance every month (~100 EUR), and then basically set aside 15% of your invoices income for tax, and the rest is yours.

This is exactly what I do for years, it's not fiction and it's working.

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#136

Post by Zenst »

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #113
Zenst wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting that you say that, lets look at Poland. They saw a decrease in skilled workers and young who moved around the EU for better opertunities. This saw many parts of Poland become ghost towns. This got to a head and the goverment in Poland got to the point that they introduced a new TAX system. One comparable to USA TAX for nationals in that it didn't matter what part of the World you lived in or earned your m…

> One comparable to USA TAX for nationals in that it didn't matter what part of the World you lived in or earned your money, you as a national would now pay tax. This is not the case.

https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2011/12/poland-income-...

"An individual is defined as resident of Poland, if at least one below-mentioned condition is fulfilled:

the individual has closer personal or economic relations with Poland (center of vital interests) or The individual stays on the territory of Poland longer than 183 days in a given fiscal year."

So if you have somebody working abroad, paying tax abroad and sends home money to family, then they are open to being double taxed.

I'm sure there is some better article about all this, but this is what I've been told from Polish nationals a few times and one who was giving up a job in another EU country to move back to Poland, due to this and that opportunities for work had improved greatly from a decade ago when they initially left.

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#137

Post by d3ckard »

Zenst wrote: post #89
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And assuming the EU's freedom of movement holds eventually people and business will realize this and move there. Then they'll do what everyone else does shoot themselves in the foot by making everything expensive. Eventually the new growth will happen elsewhere and the cycle will repeat.

Interesting that you say that, lets look at Poland. They saw a decrease in skilled workers and young who moved around the EU for better opertunities. This saw many parts of Poland become ghost towns. This got to a head and the goverment in Poland got to the point that they introduced a new TAX system. One comparable to USA TAX for nationals in that it didn't matter what part of the World you lived in or earned your m…

This is disinformation. There is no law like this and pretty sure cannot be due to EU regulations. Thankfully.

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#138

Post by walshemj »

_hao wrote: post #18
moltar wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the tech salaries like in Bulgaria?

If you have 5 years of experience as a Senior Back-end engineer you can get something between 2000€-4000€ net (after taxes) in the Bulgarian currency lev - BGN. The Lev is pegged to the Euro at 1.95BGN for 1€. In the capital where the tech jobs are located with that kind of salary you can afford anything you want.

And what salary would you get for Google in London?

FYI as an experienced professional I have just been pitched a couple of civil service jobs in London grade 8 to Grade 7 at around 75k - and that would give me about 6.5 k

That's the eqvielent of a full Colonel / GS15 if its the higher grade.

And I bet a FANG in London pays way more than that as do train drivers

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#139

Post by BeetleB »

tyri_kai_psomi wrote: post #47
StavrosK wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't? You like people not giving a shit and parking in disabled spots/ramps, double-parking everywhere, civil services closing at noon because they have "work to do", employers paying employees starvation wages because it saves them a euro, everyone evading taxes because their pocket is more important than schools and hospitals, contractors padding their invoices by 200% to pocket the money from EU investments,…

> You don't? You like people not giving a shit and parking in disabled spots/ramps, double-parking everywhere, civil services closing at noon because they have "work to do", employers paying employees starvation wages because it saves them a euro, everyone evading taxes because their pocket is more important than schools and hospitals, contractors padding their invoices by 200% to pocket the money from EU investments…

>So basically just like everywhere else in the world. You ever been to a Walmart parking lot? Or a DMV?

Oh wow. You really do come across as not having left wherever you live. Let me explain:

I didn't always live in N America. I have quite a few friends from those times who've only lived in poor and/or corrupt countries. And the only people who say "it's like that everywhere!" are them. I've known multiple people who've visited Western Europe/US and they said "I would never have believed that people could park and drive in such a civil manner"[1], which is effectively what you are saying.

As for Walmart/DMV: I've never seen anyone double park in any large Walmart-like store. Once at a DMV years ago someone parked improperly. The DMV promptly got traffic police to give him a ticket, and announced it loudly so everyone sitting there could hear it: "Congratulations! The driver of vehicle X with license plate Y has just gotten a parking ticket!"

I have seen double parking in apartment complexes. It's a risky game, though. Probably over half the population isn't going to wait to sort things out - they are going to call the towing trucks immediately. I had a car towed for parking in my spot, and someone had my car towed when I parked in their spot.

[1] Even though it's not that great in parts of the US, it's an order of magnitude more than where they've lived. Another comment: "What is it about Americans that even when the parking lot is empty, they still park between the lines?"

Re: Bulgaria is the world’s fastest-shrinking country

#140

Post by cowmoo728 »

kfk wrote: post #22

Random facts from living 3 months there on why this could be a high potential country: * 10% income tax (second lowest in EU), 5% dividend tax * Very low costs of living (rent is 300-400 eur for a flat in Sofia) * Relatively easy to start companies * It's quite safe, at least safer than Naples from where I am from * Very good quality of food * Close to the seaside (about 3 hours from Greek coast also) * Nice summers…

I visited Bulgaria for a week, so I have a limited perspective. The things that stuck out to me:

1. the food is amazing and inexpensive. Fresh high quality produce and meat, reasonably skilled chefs, and an incredible blend of French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, and Russian food. Seriously, the produce is amazing and so cheap.

2. the newer apartment buildings are well constructed and extremely cheap

3. Sofia is depressing. It looks like a dying city. Everything is falling apart, there's graffiti everywhere, not many people under 30 except those who can't leave for various reasons. There's a lot of pro-soviet nostalgia and suspicion of modernization and foreigners.

4. people hang out in public smoking, drinking, playing table tennis, and exercising. I bought a bottle of wine and drank in a park in city center until late and I felt perfectly safe. That doesn't appeal to everyone so it can be a plus and minus.

5. people drive like madmen with loud music and poorly modified cars with no mufflers. Lots of macho culture and posturing.

edit for something I forgot:

I was walking downtown sofia at about 8pm on friday night and saw a train of 3 new AMG mercedes following what looked like a modified Lambo. I also saw a Porsche GT2 RS, a mclaren, and several bentleys very clearly illegally parked for days outside a luxury hotel. I don't know where that money is coming from but I assumed it's corruption or drug trafficking given what the rest of the city is like.

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