Re:Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
by lm28469 on Wednesday December 10, 2025 @11:27AM
(#46219745)
FIRE people are funny, I wouldn't retire in belgium even if I was paid for it personally. Do you just order by tax rate and move wherever the number is the smallest ? I never heard of anyone moving to Belgium for anything other than family or cross border workers
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Re:Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
by jadyoyster on Wednesday December 10, 2025 @11:58AM
(#46220183)
Because Belgium didn't have capital gains tax it was actually common to (fake) retire to Belgium for wealthy individuals. There's supposed to be a capital gains tax from 2026 though.
Re:Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
by esseph on Wednesday December 10, 2025 @12:21PM
(#46220508)
Belgium is one of the top 20 countries in the world for quality of life and social safety net.
There are ~200 countries doing worse.
Re:Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
by lm28469 on Wednesday December 10, 2025 @12:40PM
(#46220776)
Quality of life for integrated citizens or for FIRE leeches ? The truth from quality of life polls can be far from the truth of migrants on the ground. If you're leaving CA for Belgium to save money and enjoy a nice "quality of life" you're in for a treat lol. People aren't interchangeable units of meat that can be integrated and fully acclimated to new cultures/nations.
I could understand Amsterdam/Berlin for the vibe and the fact that everyone speaks english. Portugal/Spain/Greece/Italy for the weather, the nordic countries for nature and the overall lifestyle... but Belgium, really ? no offence but it's like Luxembourg, if it wasn't for tax reasons nobody would ever willingly move there