Following on from the forced new car purchase, my estimate of 30,000kr on IT Contractor DK was almost spot on, because that's exactly what the garage put it up for sale for.
Word of warning, it's got some weird juddering problem that means it loses power at certain speeds. Nasty when you're trying to overtake a truck on the motorway and you suddenly find you can't go faster than 110 kmph. This happened twice and 2 different garages looked at it. Fix was only temporary and hence our decision this time round to just get rid. Well done to the garage if they managed to fix properly this time though.
Anyhow, it disappeared from the garage after 2 weeks and we thought maybe they'd sold it, but probably not. Driving past another garage outside Hobro and what do I see in the window? A metallic red Volvo 460 1.7. Worth stopping to have a look thought I, and hey presto, it turned out to be the same year and mileage (sorry, in the EU way of metricism, I guess that should be kilometerage). I won 't name the garage, but it specialises in old Volvos, so if you live here you'll know it. Price has mysteriously risen to 36,500 krone. Which just shows how much a crap old car costs here.
If anyone knows who buys it, I'd like to play "Hunt for Red Old Volvo", a bit like the russian submarine film with Sean Connery, and find out where it ends up.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
New Alliance & Danish politics
I just wanted to clarify from this article here that I do not agree with all of Khader's policies. Firstly 1% of GDP on foreign aid. I say either lower taxes or that money spent on better services for the people living here who paid it in, I am sick to death of "foreign aid", all it seems to do is keep the recipients down in poverty, except for a landed few in the recipient country who divvy it out amongst themselves. Bottom line Free Trade, not Foreign Aid. Secondly, longer school education, well, this one horrifies me, since part of the reason for moving here was to keep my kids away from starting British schools at age 4. The less time my kids spend in any government-sponsored brainwashing institution the better. Yet another reason to be thankful for the almost-free private school system in Denmark. And as for free school meals - arghh! Has no-one seen how the British school meals system has turned out???? Rye Bread is the healthiest thing going for kids. I already commented on the School Meals system previously.
Were the last two comments me praising something about Denmark? Good god i think it was! and I didn't choke on my words either...
but hey, first step to progress here is to smash the awful Danish tax system, and I'll tolerate a load of stuff just to see that one happen...
Were the last two comments me praising something about Denmark? Good god i think it was! and I didn't choke on my words either...
but hey, first step to progress here is to smash the awful Danish tax system, and I'll tolerate a load of stuff just to see that one happen...
Holidays in Denmark
One thing I really find it hard to get used to is the amount of holidays Danes take. and they all usually go away at the exact same time. In fact, the office then is usually empty with me and a couple of other sad souls who forgot to take the week off around.
A lot of this comes from the fact that the tax rate rises to nearly 70% once you dare to earn over 360,000 kr (about £34,000!). I can't say I blame them, after all it really isn't worth bothering to work in those circumstances, is it? The other thing that becomes apparent is the lost productivity for Denmark that those high taxes are causing.
Upshot is, to fit in here you must learn to work less. Or something like that. Maybe one day I'll have had the drive to try and do anything knocked out of me too.
A lot of this comes from the fact that the tax rate rises to nearly 70% once you dare to earn over 360,000 kr (about £34,000!). I can't say I blame them, after all it really isn't worth bothering to work in those circumstances, is it? The other thing that becomes apparent is the lost productivity for Denmark that those high taxes are causing.
Upshot is, to fit in here you must learn to work less. Or something like that. Maybe one day I'll have had the drive to try and do anything knocked out of me too.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Getting a Mention on Wikipedia
Nice to see the site IT Contractor Denmark was considered worthy of inclusion in this Wikipedia page about the Nordic model. Should even up the score against all those people brainwashed into thinking Scandinavia is some kind of socialist utopia. It is, as long as your kind of socialism means doing as little as possible and sponging a regular income coerced from the hard-working, honest and self-reliant.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Denmark calls a General Election
...wooo!
Just when you thought Danish television couldn't get any worse, we'll be subjected for the next few weeks to constant drivel from politicians. Thankfully I've only been in Denmark for a few years, so I won't understand most of it, but most of them are socialists talking the same old rubbish but with slightly different undertones.
Thankfully, Helle "we choose welfare, my husband chooses elsewhere" Schmidt doesn't seem to have much chance of winning. You can read more about Stephen Kinnock, husband of Helle Thorning Schmidt here. I'm glad, since it does mean there are plenty of Danes out there sick of this welfare state they're stuck with right now. Apparently Anders Fogh's lot called the election early so they can "..push through sweeping reforms under a new mandate..." hmm. can only imagine how sweeping - top rate tax down to 67% from 70% or something as sweeping as that is my guess. Can only hope he means seriously cutting benefits and making a few of the excess state employees redundant. unlikely though.
And for more insight into how Denmark and Danish Socialism really works, read on.
I'll make sure I'll vote New Alliance. Khader is originally from Syria so doesn't have the stigma of old guard Socialism stuck with him, and is promising top rate tax down to....43%!!!
Just when you thought Danish television couldn't get any worse, we'll be subjected for the next few weeks to constant drivel from politicians. Thankfully I've only been in Denmark for a few years, so I won't understand most of it, but most of them are socialists talking the same old rubbish but with slightly different undertones.
Thankfully, Helle "we choose welfare, my husband chooses elsewhere" Schmidt doesn't seem to have much chance of winning. You can read more about Stephen Kinnock, husband of Helle Thorning Schmidt here. I'm glad, since it does mean there are plenty of Danes out there sick of this welfare state they're stuck with right now. Apparently Anders Fogh's lot called the election early so they can "..push through sweeping reforms under a new mandate..." hmm. can only imagine how sweeping - top rate tax down to 67% from 70% or something as sweeping as that is my guess. Can only hope he means seriously cutting benefits and making a few of the excess state employees redundant. unlikely though.
And for more insight into how Denmark and Danish Socialism really works, read on.
I'll make sure I'll vote New Alliance. Khader is originally from Syria so doesn't have the stigma of old guard Socialism stuck with him, and is promising top rate tax down to....43%!!!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
New Car in Denmark
Horror of horrors, I finally had to bite the bullet and buy a new car in Denmark!
In case you didn't know, this place has the most unpleasant taxation on buying a car in the entire world. Whatever a car costs in your home country, I can almost guarantee it will cost 2-3 times as much here since vehicle duty is a whopping 170% and then 25% MOMs is added on top (a tax on a tax).
Tragic thing is that WITHOUT the taxes Danish cars are really cheap. In fact, a lot of internet car importers buy their cars from Denmark and then add the duty on applying to the country the car is being imported into.
Anyhow, with 3 kids and a fourth on the way, our 12 year-old Volvo saloon broke down again and we decided that was it.
So fastforward and we now have a brand new Fiat Doblo 7 seater. Tragically, it cost the equivalent of about £18,500 whereas the identical model in the Uk is £10,500. Every other people carrier we looked at
My key tip here is that new cars in Denmark are, despite the prices, comparatively a bargain as against used cars. For example, a 6 or 7-year old Fiat Doblo still sells for 80,000 or 90,000 krone (about £8,000), and everyone knows the risks a used car of this age entails, plus, considering how damp a country Denmark is, cars do not tend to wear too well as the years progress. Dealers make very little profit on selling new cars - they hope to make their money from the servicing afterwards. Their profit margins on used cars are much bigger.
You can read more on buying and driving a car in Denmark here.
Yet again, it just shows who's really running the show and raking the money in here. The Government. Next time I see the usual bunch of drunks hanging around outside Føtex, at least I can feel that warm feeling inside of knowing that my money was spent on a good cause....
In case you didn't know, this place has the most unpleasant taxation on buying a car in the entire world. Whatever a car costs in your home country, I can almost guarantee it will cost 2-3 times as much here since vehicle duty is a whopping 170% and then 25% MOMs is added on top (a tax on a tax).
Tragic thing is that WITHOUT the taxes Danish cars are really cheap. In fact, a lot of internet car importers buy their cars from Denmark and then add the duty on applying to the country the car is being imported into.
Anyhow, with 3 kids and a fourth on the way, our 12 year-old Volvo saloon broke down again and we decided that was it.
So fastforward and we now have a brand new Fiat Doblo 7 seater. Tragically, it cost the equivalent of about £18,500 whereas the identical model in the Uk is £10,500. Every other people carrier we looked at
My key tip here is that new cars in Denmark are, despite the prices, comparatively a bargain as against used cars. For example, a 6 or 7-year old Fiat Doblo still sells for 80,000 or 90,000 krone (about £8,000), and everyone knows the risks a used car of this age entails, plus, considering how damp a country Denmark is, cars do not tend to wear too well as the years progress. Dealers make very little profit on selling new cars - they hope to make their money from the servicing afterwards. Their profit margins on used cars are much bigger.
You can read more on buying and driving a car in Denmark here.
Yet again, it just shows who's really running the show and raking the money in here. The Government. Next time I see the usual bunch of drunks hanging around outside Føtex, at least I can feel that warm feeling inside of knowing that my money was spent on a good cause....
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Honest Financial Advice at No Price
Don't forget to visit my investing sites for financial information to help you save money. First, there's Successful Tax Free Investing. Then IT Contracting in Denmark. Then, if you live in the EU, loads of tips on how to Shop Online and Save and finally, visit Invest Gold and Silver to find out how to invest on the two things likeliest to save you from financial collapse in the uncertain future awaiting us all.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Penny (or Krone) Finally Drops
Amazing article in "Ekstra Bladet" today, where the newspaper managed to track down and interview the only Dane in Denmark who hasn't got any consumer loans!
In case you're not aware, ANY loan for ANY purpose you take out in Denmark attracts tax relief of 33% on the interest. So, you can hit the shops for a new 42" LCD TV and know that it means less tax on your payslip. Bizarre, and probably explains why Denmark is one of the 5 most personally indebted countries in the world.
Whether or not you agree with tax relief on homeloans, I cannot believe anyone would consider such a system that promotes consumer spending over saving to be fair. I'm glad therefore that finally some media has mentioned it, and would expect this to be the first step in abolishing this concession, as more people cotton onto it. The UK abolished MIRAS (20% mortgage relief) on loans in the mid-1990s, and it had zero effect on house prices, or anything else for that matter. It's probably quite an expensive tax relief to administer as well.
Worth saying that I don't have any consumer loans either, but then again I'm not a Dane indoctrinated into their system from an early age.
In case you're not aware, ANY loan for ANY purpose you take out in Denmark attracts tax relief of 33% on the interest. So, you can hit the shops for a new 42" LCD TV and know that it means less tax on your payslip. Bizarre, and probably explains why Denmark is one of the 5 most personally indebted countries in the world.
Whether or not you agree with tax relief on homeloans, I cannot believe anyone would consider such a system that promotes consumer spending over saving to be fair. I'm glad therefore that finally some media has mentioned it, and would expect this to be the first step in abolishing this concession, as more people cotton onto it. The UK abolished MIRAS (20% mortgage relief) on loans in the mid-1990s, and it had zero effect on house prices, or anything else for that matter. It's probably quite an expensive tax relief to administer as well.
Worth saying that I don't have any consumer loans either, but then again I'm not a Dane indoctrinated into their system from an early age.
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