Many Brits have made the life-changing decision of packing their things and relocating somewhere overseas. Moving abroad can be an exciting experience for many reasons – getting to know a new culture, being in a new environment – the list could go on. On the flip side, moving away can also make you appreciate what you had back home. In a now-deleted post on Reddit, a user questioned expats living in the UK about their experiences.
The user asked: “Expats living in the UK. Is the situation really that bad? or is it just perspective?” Hundreds of people flocked to the comments, where both expats and Brits discussed their issues – including high taxes – and compared them to other countries.
A Brit who lives abroad hopped into the conversation in defence of the UK.
The Reddit user said: “I’m British and lived in Germany for 14 years. After I moved abroad and worked with people from around Europe, I noticed just how much British people put their own country down and b***h about how life is so bad in the UK. This isn’t unique to the British but I think British people are world champions in complaining about their own country.
“Like you say, other countries have the same problems. From what I have observed, the complaints are primarily by British folk who have never actually lived in another country and their impressions of other countries are based on holidays/short visits and what they see in the media/online.”
One user responded: “It’s much worse on Reddit than it is in real life. Most of the people I’ve worked with are cheerful and happy with their lives.”
In a separate chain of comments, a user compared the tax and services in both Germany and the UK. They explained that while Germany may not have an “as high” personal tax allowance and lower VAT threshold, the country takes more tax to “pay for those benefits.”
In response, a user said: “We opposed to the UK which has fairly high tax and you get f*****g nothing for it”, to which the previous user then replied: “You want German services, then pay German taxes.”
A German who lives in the UK said: “Pay more tax get better service.”