Forked over 19% tax at Frankfurt Airport upon entry: A Cautionary Tale

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by Knappo 1307

Question, asking because I don't know the answer. If you move from the USA, to say Germany or even vice versa, are you taxed upon receiving your furniture and everything moved? Again, I'm asking simply because I don't know the answer.

If you have owned those for some time ( I think 6 months to 1 year), you can move your entire household to here without being taxed.

The question comes often when people move from the US to here and want to take their Porsches etc with them.

[austinp]

Are the high VAT more of a protectionist strategy to limit the goods residents would buy cheaper out of country? Protect the local businesses?


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[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by daveathall

The import tax is for German citizens to pay. You may think it is too high but there again, Germans don't pay health insurance, they get it free from money paid in taxes. It's swings and roundabouts.

That is not correct.

Health insurance is paid 50/50 by employer and employee and it‘s mandatory.
In some cases, health insurance ( for unemployeds etc) is provided with tax money.
Everybody needs to have a health insurance here.

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by austinp

Are the high VAT more of a protectionist strategy to limit the goods residents would buy cheaper out of country? Protect the local businesses?


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The relatively high taxes are largely used to pay for welfare benefits etc. There is not protectionist purpose, Its a totally different social system where the public sector is really strong.

And tools is right.
VAT used to be 19% last year, now it‘s 16%

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by daveathall

I thought mine was, don't say I have gone 53 years of being right for it to end like this.

Dave, I thought I was wrong but was mistaken.....

Originally Posted by Knappo 1307

Paul, you won't have to pay the tax going to a foreign country because you are not a resident of that country only visiting. Now coming back into the US, where you are a resident, according to what I'm reading in this thread you could get taxed. Sounds really f'ed up, but that is what I'm getting from this....

Well, even that is very disturbing.

Originally Posted by Knappo 1307

And I'm reporting both of you! Chewy let me take the reigns over.

Oh, thank goodness, people have really been getting out of hand and we need a reporter!!!!!!

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

That is not correct.

Health insurance is paid 50/50 by employer and employee and it‘s mandatory.
In some cases, health insurance ( for unemployeds etc) is provided with tax money.
Everybody needs to have a health insurance here.

I stand corrected.

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by Patton250

Now I’m confused again. I thought we established that no one was saying it’s just a German thing.

My only contention is in my humble opinion that a 19.5% tax is unethical coming from any country. That is MY opinion only. I also feel as you know it’s a terrible thing what happened to the OP.

The thing to note is she wasn’t coming from any country.

She was coming home to her place of permanent residence where the VAT is a fairly standard 19%

It’s 20% VAT in the UK, and i think it’s even law in the EU to have it at >15%

You can’t compare the tax situation to that of America where the state provides very little in comparison.

When we visited the states with our boy, to see family, he was poorly and as a precaution took him to an emergency room to be checked out. Total bill was $1400 for approximately 20 minutes of time.

I could easily call that robbery and theft, but instead I just pay the bill, which I knew would be high as it’s how the country works.

This would have cost $0 anywhere in the EU for me to have done the same thing.

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by daveathall

Americans travelling to Germany for business, vacation etc would not pay import tax on their items.

The import tax is for German citizens to pay. You may think it is too high but there again, Germans don't pay health insurance, they get it free from money paid in taxes. It's swings and roundabouts.

In fairness I used to consider my health insurance payments as a form of tax when I was in Germany, especially when I was on public health insurance.

It’s mandatory and the employer contributes, so not that dissimilar to NI contributions in the UK.

I was paying about 50% in total stoppages when working there for tax, health, solidarity tax etc. Church tax would have been another 10% if I subscribed to that as well.

It never bothered me one bit as I saw all the positive things the money was spent on for the society & people over there.

Plus some of the best roads around.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by Burlington

The thing to note is she wasn’t coming from any country.

She was coming home to her place of permanent residence where the VAT is a fairly standard 19%

It’s 20% VAT in the UK, and i think it’s even law in the EU to have it at >15%

You can’t compare the tax situation to that of America where the state provides very little in comparison.

When we visited the states with our boy, to see family, he was poorly and as a precaution took him to an emergency room to be checked out. Total bill was $1400 for approximately 20 minutes of time.

I could easily call that robbery and theft, but instead I just pay the bill, which I knew would be high as it’s how the country works.

This would have cost $0 anywhere in the EU for me to have done the same thing.

Yeah but it doesn’t cost zero now does it?

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by Patton250

Yeah but it doesn’t cost zero now does it?

It depends Brett, I worked from 15 to 58, so I always paid National Insurance. Someone who never worked a day in their life, it would be free, now that I am retired, it is free to me, I don't pay National Insurance.

One may say that it isn't fair that someone should get it free all their life whereas others pay all their life, tbh mate, that argument never comes up here. I have never heard anyone say about someone else that they shouldn't have medical cover because they don't work.

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by Patton250

Yeah but it doesn’t cost zero now does it?

No, exactly - there is a cost to the state in all that.

That’s what taxes pay for and actually why for health I prefer the German system of mandatory health insurance (so kind of like a tax) but you have the freedom to choose provider, level of cover and if you don’t use it, it can be much much cheaper. So keeping oneself healthy saves money !

Who can argue with that.

P.s. This is one of the best threads for a while and I do like all the different opinions.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by daveathall

It depends Brett, I worked from 15 to 58, so I always paid National Insurance. Someone who never worked a day in their life, it would be free, now that I am retired, it is free to me, I don't pay National Insurance.

One may say that it isn't fair that someone should get it free all their life whereas others pay all their life, tbh mate, that argument never comes up here. I have never heard anyone say about someone else that they shouldn't have medical cover because they don't work.

I totally understand my friend. The same thing happens in the US. The idea that there are people without insurance is a myth. My brother who passed away sometime ago of a drug overdose never worked a day in his life. He was always on welfare. He and his girlfriend and their three daughters had the best health insurance Massachusetts had and was paid for by tax payers. It used to drive my sister crazy because she worked her butt off every day and had decent insurance but it just wasn’t at the same level.

You worked your whole life and earned your insurance. You paid for it. It should be free for the rest of your life.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by Burlington

In fairness I used to consider my health insurance payments as a form of tax when I was in Germany, especially when I was on public health insurance.

It’s mandatory and the employer contributes, so not that dissimilar to NI contributions in the UK.

I was paying about 50% in total stoppages when working there for tax, health, solidarity tax etc. Church tax would have been another 10% if I subscribed to that as well.

It never bothered me one bit as I saw all the positive things the money was spent on for the society & people over there.

Plus some of the best roads around.

100%, really miss this. No deductibles, worries about extra charges, having the best’ insurance but actually having to pay hundreds if not thousands. TONS of Americans think systems like the one in Germany are horrid and socialist and have forever waits, until they experience it firsthand and realize it’s way better. America has been brainwashed with health insurance being dominated by the private sector and all this extra money being paid is just normalcy. It’s absurd.

And yeah, you see the tax money spent in Germany with the cleanliness, great public transport even in the smaller cities, roads as you mentioned. I *would* be angry paying high taxes in America as you don’t see it applied like you do in certain EU countries.

Originally Posted by Patton250

The idea that there are people without insurance is a myth.

Lol what? I’n from Florida (lived in TB area for 3 years in my twenties) and I can count off probably 50 people I knew without health insurance. Lots of younger people don’t get it who work min wage jobs, self employed or are in school. If you’re not dirt poor or have a kid you don’t immediately get all insurance/food benefits. It’s a easy line to cross, it’s actually why a lot of people say ‘I’m not even going to work’ because they technically are richer than if they worked a min wage job from the benefits they can receive.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by dmash

100%, really miss this. No deductibles, worries about extra charges, having the best’ insurance but actually having to pay hundreds if not thousands. TONS of Americans think systems like the one in Germany are horrid and socialist and have forever waits, until they experience it firsthand and realize it’s way better. America has been brainwashed with health insurance being dominated by the private sector and all this extra money being paid is just normalcy. It’s absurd.

And yeah, you see the tax money spent in Germany with the cleanliness, great public transport even in the smaller cities, roads as you mentioned. I *would* be angry paying high taxes in America as you don’t see it applied like you do in certain EU countries.




Lol what? I’n from Florida (lived in TB area for 3 years in my twenties) and I can count off probably 50 people I knew without health insurance. Lots of younger people don’t get it who work min wage jobs, self employed or are in school. If you’re not dirt poor or have a kid you don’t immediately get all insurance/food benefits. It’s a easy line to cross, it’s actually why a lot of people say ‘I’m not even going to work’ because they technically are richer than if they worked a min wage job from the benefits they can receive.

Brother let’s just agree to disagree and not get this thread shut down or worse get some sort of infractions. This is extremely dangerous territory. Besides I’ve formed my opinion on this from people I am very close to that come from many of these countries and that’s all I’m going to say on it.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by Patton250

Brother let’s just agree to disagree and not get this thread shut down or worse get some sort of infractions. This is extremely dangerous territory. Besides I’ve formed my opinion on this from people I am very close to that come from many of these countries and that’s all I’m going to say on it.

I’m not trying to get this thread down you just make blanket statements like ’people with no insurance is a myth’ based on a sole experience with a family member instead of actual statistical information. If you want the truth, almost 15% of Florida (yes MILLIONS) lack health insurance. And after COVID that number is even higher.

Stating ‘lack of health insurance is a myth’ is wildly inaccurate and far removed from reality.






And in regards to foreign health insurance, I base my opinions from actually living in countries with a firsthand experience, not what my buddy told me.






There are no infractions to be had, nobody is insulting one another, I’m simply countering your opinionated claims with facts. There’s nothing for moderation and I’m sure the mods agree