Best country for writers?

Albdantesque · Apr 1, 2016

In US and UK today live the richest writers. Had not English been so powerful in the world, one would wonder if US and UK writers would rank highly in money. Moreover, life in both countries is so expensive that you should be already an acclaimed writer, if you move there with the intention to write in your language.

Europe is becoming expensive too, and whatever money are dispensed to international writers they are politically intended, i.e. the given institution in the given city will award those money to the writer who will tell Europeans how bad life and politics are in her country (usually Eastern one). If it happens for you to have other interests in your writing, you will have to pay European prices without getting a European income. Maybe some southern European countries may have some better terms, but with budget cuttings and new taxes due to recession, I suppose that old escapes, like Italy, Spain, and Greece, are becoming very expensive lately. I have heard that France and Spain may give some fellowships/salaries to international writers, but whenever I searched those opportunities I saw the politics behind them.... and France nowadays must be more expensive than USA and UK.

I hope, I did not confuse the readers. But I am still wondering which countries would be the best for writers to live. With "best countries" I mean countries where there are a lot of cultural/artistic activities, there's some kind of cosmopolitan life, expenses are affordable for someone who might receive some low income from writing books, articles, etc, and, definitely, there's not so much bureaucracy in having the permission to reside there....

I hope to hear your ideas and arguments.

Treehouseman · Jun 19, 2016

Ireland. No tax on income earned through writing.

Old Hack · Jun 20, 2016

I was just going to make that same point, Treehouseman!

I don't know if the Canada Council is as generous these days as it was in the 1980s but the grants it gave to many of its writers then were incredibly generous, so that's perhaps one to consider too.

Richard White · Jun 20, 2016

Technically, you really can't take the US as some monolithic country. Is it more expensive to live in/near the bigger cities? Yes. If you live a couple hours away, the costs can go down immensely. Many things are much cheaper in the US than Europe/some are significantly more expensive. All depends on what region of the country you're willing to live in and whether the cost of living there is offset by the conveniences the area offers.

I could live very well in the Midwest for about 1/2 of what it costs to live on the East Coast, but I do lose access to historical areas and certain cultural events - well, unless I plan it as a weekend outing (for example).

Max Evan · Aug 9, 2016

In Russia, the income tax rate is 13%. This is less than in many other European countries. But bureaucracy here is horrible. For visa need an invitation, etc.

Dennis E. Taylor · Aug 9, 2016

Treehouseman said:
Ireland. No tax on income earned through writing.

Whaaaaaaa????

stephenf · Aug 9, 2016

Treehouseman said:
Ireland. No tax on income earned through writing.

Hi
You are only exempt on the first 50,000 Euros , Personally I would not pay any tax . But the cost of living is high so there would little advantage for anybody on a low income .
I have lived In India , and it can be a good place to live , except you can't be a permanent resident.

Treehouseman · Aug 10, 2016

stephenf said:
Hi
You are only exempt on the first 50,000 Euros , Personally I would not pay any tax . But the cost of living is high so there would little advantage for anybody on a low income .
I have lived In India , and it can be a good place to live , except you can't be a permanent resident.

DUUUDE $50k euro earned through writing is more than anyone makes in a regular job.

Much as tax-free states and countries sound cool to live in, you will be hunted, dawn to dusk, by police and other revenue collectors to fine you if you even fart in public! The coffers need to be filled, and there's more money in traffic stops than fighting real crime... /divergence

CassandraW · Aug 10, 2016

Er...plenty of people make more than 50,000 euros in a "real job.". Only a lucky few make that much writing, though.

Dennis E. Taylor · Aug 10, 2016

That does make a little more sense, though. Otherwise Steven King, Dan Brown, Michael Crichton, etc would all be living there. (Okay, Crichton's dead. You know what I mean.)

Albdantesque · Aug 10, 2016

Max Evan said:
In Russia, the income tax rate is 13%. This is less than in many other European countries. But bureaucracy here is horrible. For visa need an invitation, etc.

I want to see that vast country before I die.... I hope that Tans-Siberian Railway is still working

Myrealana · Aug 10, 2016

Ireland's a thought. My husband and I dream of moving to the UK when we retire, maybe Wales. Ireland wouldn't be bad, either.

Old Hack · Aug 10, 2016

Myrealana said:
Ireland's a thought. My husband and I dream of moving to the UK when we retire, maybe Wales. Ireland wouldn't be bad, either.

Ireland isn't part of the UK. Northern Ireland is, but Ireland is separate.

Wales is gorgeous but pretty cut off: those amazing mountains make transport and access difficult sometimes.

L M Ashton · Aug 11, 2016

Taxes are always, in my mind, a consideration, but there are plenty of places you can live with low taxes. Sri Lanka has zero taxes on income earned from outside the country, but getting a visa to live in Sri Lanka can be difficult unless you're married to a Sri Lankan. The UAE has no personal income tax at all, but if you're not employed by a company there, then to live there, you'd need to set up your own incorporation in one of the free trade zones and have your company sponsor you. You can get long-term visas to live in at least a few countries in Europe (Spain, France, Germany off the top of my head), some visas allow for working, others don't, but if you work, the taxes can be fairly high. If you want to go the incorporation route, you can incorporate in places like Panama, Malaysia (Labuan specifically), and others and have your corporation sponsor your residency visa. Panama would have no personal taxes on income derived from outside the country while Labuan is at 3% of net income or RM20,000 per year, whichever you choose.

There are lots of options - you just have to do your research. The question is where do you want to live and what would it take to legally live there? And what would you consider a high bureaucratic burden? Because how high the bureaucratic burden is depends not just on your country of citizenship, but also in some cases on which countries you've lived in in the last decade or so.

Albdantesque · Aug 12, 2016

L M Ashton said:
Taxes are always, in my mind, a consideration, but there are plenty of places you can live with low taxes. Sri Lanka has zero taxes on income earned from outside the country, but getting a visa to live in Sri Lanka can be difficult unless you're married to a Sri Lankan. The UAE has no personal income tax at all, but if you're not employed by a company there, then to live there, you'd need to set up your own incorporation in one of the free trade zones and have your company sponsor you. You can get long-term visas to live in at least a few countries in Europe (Spain, France, Germany off the top of my head), some visas allow for working, others don't, but if you work, the taxes can be fairly high. If you want to go the incorporation route, you can incorporate in places like Panama, Malaysia (Labuan specifically), and others and have your corporation sponsor your residency visa. Panama would have no personal taxes on income derived from outside the country while Labuan is at 3% of net income or RM20,000 per year, whichever you choose.

There are lots of options - you just have to do your research. The question is where do you want to live and what would it take to legally live there? And what would you consider a high bureaucratic burden? Because how high the bureaucratic burden is depends not just on your country of citizenship, but also in some cases on which countries you've lived in in the last decade or so.

I am very interested in Europe, especially North Italy (some masterpieces of world-literature were written in Italy by visiting writers). In my search, however, I came up with the impression that Netherlands is the only country in EU where US citizens may secure work authorization easily (because US has signed a special treaty with Netherlands only). Anyway, if you have info how to obtain work authorization in other countries (I am interested in Italy and France mostly) you may share it with us.

I'd always loved to move constantly, between Europe and Far East, but as I can see... wherever you go places are becoming more expensive and jobs fewer.

Dennis E. Taylor · Aug 12, 2016

So, if you get permission to move to a country, but not work authorization, and you do something like writing, and make your money from Amazon, are you breaking the law?

Myrealana · Aug 12, 2016

Old Hack said:
Ireland isn't part of the UK. Northern Ireland is, but Ireland is separate.

I'm well aware. That's why I say we want to move to the UK, but Ireland wouldn't be bad either.

Albdantesque · Aug 12, 2016

Angry Guy said:
So, if you get permission to move to a country, but not work authorization, and you do something like writing, and make your money from Amazon, are you breaking the law?

That sounds good, but I do not know any writers, personally, who do not need to work part time somewhere. If you make a lot of money you have to pay taxes to US, I guess, but you are not breaking any laws.

In USA live some of the richest writers, but there have been great American writers who earned a living as teachers, taxi-drivers, journalists, postmen, etc. It begs the question whether one has to make some sacrifices in order to keep writing, but generally speaking many great writers did not benefit in their lifetime from sales and publishing. Teaching and journalism have been the best professions for writers, and even today we should not expect that all writers make a living from books.

Myrealana · Aug 12, 2016

Angry Guy said:
So, if you get permission to move to a country, but not work authorization, and you do something like writing, and make your money from Amazon, are you breaking the law?

I don't know.

The UK has a visa program for Writers, Performers and Artists, where if you can show a history of supporting yourself with your art, you can qualify for a visa for up to 5 years, and you don't need a work permit. (Conditions apply, YMMV, IANAIL, yadda yadda.) Of course, that doesn't give you the right to work in any other field, and since you would be only a resident and not a citizen, you'd be paying taxes in both your home country and the UK, I think.

L M Ashton · Aug 16, 2016

Albdantesque said:
I am very interested in Europe, especially North Italy (some masterpieces of world-literature were written in Italy by visiting writers). In my search, however, I came up with the impression that Netherlands is the only country in EU where US citizens may secure work authorization easily (because US has signed a special treaty with Netherlands only). Anyway, if you have info how to obtain work authorization in other countries (I am interested in Italy and France mostly) you may share it with us.

I'd always loved to move constantly, between Europe and Far East, but as I can see... wherever you go places are becoming more expensive and jobs fewer.

It really depends on what kind of visa you want. If you want an employment visa, that has one set of requirements, usually involving a company that is willing to hire you sponsoring you for said visa. But if you want to live there without earning income or you want to freelance, then it can be much, much easier.

I and the husband are self-employed run our own business kind of people, so we tend to not look for jobs and we don't tend to get employment visas. And as a result, I don't know a lot about these types of visas.

If you're interested in going the freelancer route, do a search on the country for freelance. Autonomo for Spain, too, although Spain has a couple or three different types of self-employment visas. France has an additional visa for people who are doing special projects involving art or culture, and another one for technological stuff. You might have to hunt a bit, but it's all there.

L M Ashton · Aug 16, 2016

Myrealana said:
I don't know.

The UK has a visa program for Writers, Performers and Artists, where if you can show a history of supporting yourself with your art, you can qualify for a visa for up to 5 years, and you don't need a work permit. (Conditions apply, YMMV, IANAIL, yadda yadda.) Of course, that doesn't give you the right to work in any other field, and since you would be only a resident and not a citizen, you'd be paying taxes in both your home country and the UK, I think.

The USA and, I think, one other country (Eritrea, maybe?) are the only two countries that tax their citizens even when they are not resident in their country. For citizens of other countries, taxation is a matter of residency. You pay taxes where you live.

This can get into quite a big discussion, but the short end of it is that you're (usually) considered tax resident if you live in a country for 183 days out of the year. And some countries may require you to pay taxes in that country if you earn money in that country no matter how long you've been in that country. Earning money online from a company in another country is (usually) taxable. There are exceptions for some countries of course, and you should always do the research so you understand what your tax burdens are, and, if necessary, consult a tax professional.

Best country for writers?

Albdantesque

Treehouseman

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

Max Evan

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!

stephenf

Treehouseman

CassandraW

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!

Albdantesque

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer

Albdantesque

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

Albdantesque

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer