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Differences between the USA and the UK


Captain Slog

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Not that I’m obsessed about shites but...American public toilet cubicles are ****ing weird. A foot of space at the bottom, a four foot door and a big gap at the side where the lock is. Hard to avoid big 20 stone Hank Chuckchip III dropping his considerable kids off at the pool when you go for a piss.

 

As mentioned previously, shite electrical sockets, geography, spelling, cheese, chocolate, Italian and Indian food but the people are sound (sizeable amount of bams aside). Friendliest place I’ve ever been though, I love it. Great beer, meat, music, sports (well, American football and basketball) and usually impressed by the Scottish accent. 

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Kalamazoo Jambo
48 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Taps. As in kitchen and bathroom taps. Faucets you might say. 


Mrs KJ complains about there being separate hot and cold taps in the UK (as compared to the more standard ‘mixer’ faucet in the US). I do think she has a point to be fair.

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7 minutes ago, Kalamazoo Jambo said:


Mrs KJ complains about there being separate hot and cold taps in the UK (as compared to the more standard ‘mixer’ faucet in the US). I do think she has a point to be fair.

 

And my mate from Chicago moans that the mixer-taps here are usually crap and don't work nearly as well as the ones in the US. Mind you, he's lived here for 40-odd years so he's probably got used to British plumbing by now.

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9 minutes ago, RobboM said:

So the first sunny day of summer is a Faucets Aff day 🙂

 

:lol: Love that.

 

Yeah a tap in the US is almost exclusively going to dispense beer. And then taps for soda/juice, we would call a soda fountain / dispenser. We do say faucets yeah, or spigots for ones that are outside, that you normally attach a hose to.

 

26 minutes ago, Auld Reekin' said:

And my mate from Chicago moans that the mixer-taps here are usually crap and don't work nearly as well as the ones in the US. Mind you, he's lived here for 40-odd years so he's probably got used to British plumbing by now.

 

Assuming you've even got mixer taps in the first place! Got one installed when I had my bathroom redone and it's brilliant :smile:

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26 minutes ago, Kalamazoo Jambo said:


They’re called - wait for it - “faucets”

 

Yeh - just as I posted it struck me that separate ones might be rarer than rocking horse shite.

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Kalamazoo Jambo
Just now, Boof said:

 

Yeh - just as I posted it struck me that separate ones might be rarer than rocking horse shite.


:laugh: This is the second time that rocking horse shite has been mentioned on this thread so I’m not sure it’s as rare as people think.

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Just now, Kalamazoo Jambo said:


:laugh: This is the second time that rocking horse shite has been mentioned on this thread so I’m not sure it’s as rare as people think.

 

:lol: 

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Everything is too sweet in the US. The bread is rank. First time I tasted the bread I though it had accidentally come into contact with some sugar. I was mistaken. That's what it tastes like. A sweet hint to it.

Coca cola and in fact all such fizzy drinks are sweet as hell. I think it's something to do with the fact they put HFC's in everything instead of sugar. Get a can of coke in Britain it's sweetened with sugar. Not so in the US. Rank rotten HFC's in it and everything else too.

I see the chocolate has been mentioned. US chocolate is boggin'. Look at the first ingredient of Cadbury's, it's milk. Then go check out the first ingredient in Hershey's.

Hershey's blocked British imported chocolate in the US because it was heading to take over their market. 

Hershey's has blocked British-made Cadbury chocolate from entering the US

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When you're flying to the US  but have a change of plane on arrival and have to go find your luggage (which has been taken off the carousel and dumped at the back of the hall) and then get through customs just so you can catch your connecting flight. But American airlines don't tell you this and you've only got 50 minutes to get off one plane and onto the other.:angry::24_shocked:

 

And why do you have to queue SO long to get entry when the US has electronic passport readers just like everywhere else but doesn't let international passengers use them. I saw this happen once at JFK when the queues were overwhelming the airport. A kindly lady asked me if I had a family ESTA I'd used in the previous 2 years (I did) and she let me use the passport reader. 

 

 

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SpruceBringsteen

Was going to give a daft answer, but I'll break habits and give a serious one. Main difference for me here is the absolute lack of physical cash. As in literally the only time I use it is when I'm getting a haircut or a pint - and even a pint it's 50/50. Been here just over 3 years and couldn't begin to tell you which coin is which because I never use or see them!

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1 minute ago, SpruceBringsteen said:

Was going to give a daft answer, but I'll break habits and give a serious one. Main difference for me here is the absolute lack of physical cash. As in literally the only time I use it is when I'm getting a haircut or a pint - and even a pint it's 50/50. Been here just over 3 years and couldn't begin to tell you which coin is which because I never use or see them!

That's pretty much the same over here now, I'd say. 

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1 hour ago, Norm said:

That's pretty much the same over here now, I'd say. 

Just thinking about this and I think I’ve used a cash machine 3 times since last March. It’s not helping my spare change piggy bank. 

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13 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Just thinking about this and I think I’ve used a cash machine 3 times since last March. It’s not helping my spare change piggy bank. 

 

:icon14:  The only way I manage to get any pound coins & silver at the moment is when I go and get some eggs from the honesty-box* from our nearby organic egg farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(*And I do actually pay for them, with notes... honest. As a mate from Bathgate said when visiting us a couple of years ago, in West Lothian not only would they steal the eggs and the money, but the box and the sign too!  :) )

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I'm currently trying to explain how to eat fish and chips the correct way to said American, and instructing her that in no way should she take it with vinegar, or Ill deport her to the West.

 

But how do i explain chippie sauce - is it just HP cut with vinegar?  Oh man, I remember Aldos in Uphall used to sell Barrs bottles full of the stuff in the eighties - bliss.

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1 minute ago, Captain Slog said:

I'm currently trying to explain how to eat fish and chips the correct way to said American, and instructing her that in no way should she take it with vinegar, or Ill deport her to the West.

 

But how do i explain chippie sauce - is it just HP cut with vinegar?  Oh man, I remember Aldos in Uphall used to sell Barrs bottles full of the stuff in the eighties - bliss.

chippy sauce is gold star potentially watered down.

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5 minutes ago, milky_26 said:

chippy sauce is gold star potentially watered down.

In all my years 'Ive had a Scotoma about this, I've honestly never noticed the brand.

 

I'm going to have to order some, thanks for the heads up

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Riddley Walker
On 13/02/2021 at 13:28, SpruceBringsteen said:

Was going to give a daft answer, but I'll break habits and give a serious one. Main difference for me here is the absolute lack of physical cash. As in literally the only time I use it is when I'm getting a haircut or a pint - and even a pint it's 50/50. Been here just over 3 years and couldn't begin to tell you which coin is which because I never use or see them!

 

Nobody uses cash anymore over here. Feels weird holding a coin now. 

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The Hogfather

At the risk of opening a can of worms here, I passed a beggar on the street yesterday who was asking for spare change and it made me wonder how many people actually carry money around these days. I can't remember the last time I withdrew cash from a machine.

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19 minutes ago, Nunya Business said:

At the risk of opening a can of worms here, I passed a beggar on the street yesterday who was asking for spare change and it made me wonder how many people actually carry money around these days. I can't remember the last time I withdrew cash from a machine.

 

I was saying even ten years ago that the increasing cashlessness of society must have been an absolute ******* for them. :sad:

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2 hours ago, milky_26 said:

chippy sauce is gold star potentially watered down.

Someone on here whose family runs several Edinburgh chippys confirmed that was the case.  No vinegar involved.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Captain Slog said:

In all my years 'Ive had a Scotoma about this, I've honestly never noticed the brand.

 

I'm going to have to order some, thanks for the heads up

Asda sell it.

 

 

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Doctor FinnBarr
2 hours ago, Captain Slog said:

I'm currently trying to explain how to eat fish and chips the correct way to said American, and instructing her that in no way should she take it with vinegar, or Ill deport her to the West.

 

But how do i explain chippie sauce - is it just HP cut with vinegar?  Oh man, I remember Aldos in Uphall used to sell Barrs bottles full of the stuff in the eighties - bliss.

 

Ginos chip van in Blackburn still sells sauce by the bottle.

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13 minutes ago, FinnBarr Saunders said:

 

Ginos chip van in Blackburn still sells sauce by the bottle.

Most decent chippies will sell it premixed. My local one has even had labels made up to stick on the plastic bottles so people can be impressed you bought your sauce from The Corbie. Unless they’ve been there recently and know it’s pretty shit. 

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The Real Maroonblood
1 hour ago, Justin Z said:

 

I was saying even ten years ago that the increasing cashlessness of society must have been an absolute ******* for them. :sad:

They'll eventually have these contactless machines. 

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1 minute ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

:laugh2:

Umm, forgive my ignorance.  But didn't the garage at Orchard Brae steal peoples account details from card machines a few years ago.  If thats

still possible, why on earth would you give your details to someone when you have no way to return to them if there are problems.

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Francis Albert
40 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Buskers in London do. 

Someone selling the Big Issue in Oxford Street last time I was there was loudly advertising the fact he would accept contactless payment.

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The Real Maroonblood
29 minutes ago, Captain Slog said:

Umm, forgive my ignorance.  But didn't the garage at Orchard Brae steal peoples account details from card machines a few years ago.  If thats

still possible, why on earth would you give your details to someone when you have no way to return to them if there are problems.

Never heard that one.

As you say giving someone your details is utter madness. 

 

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Here's one @Dorothy: I've just filed my US tax return for 2020. For folks who are not self-employed in the UK (or some other situations, as I understand it), there is no such thing. HMRC just lets you know they're in receipt of your PAYE funds from your employer and all should be just fine.

 

But you do still have to file a US tax return. A relatively high amount of foreign earned income is exempt; in 2020 it was about $100,000. But you still have to report your income and then apply the credit on the tax form.

 

Hopefully you can eventually get citizenship here and renounce your US citizenship, in which case you won't have to keep filing US tax returns. But until then, you still have to, and if you ever hold $10,000 or more in accounts over here, you'll need to file an FBAR by April 15 each year.

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Riddley Walker
1 hour ago, Justin Z said:

Here's one @Dorothy: I've just filed my US tax return for 2020. For folks who are not self-employed in the UK (or some other situations, as I understand it), there is no such thing. HMRC just lets you know they're in receipt of your PAYE funds from your employer and all should be just fine.

 

But you do still have to file a US tax return. A relatively high amount of foreign earned income is exempt; in 2020 it was about $100,000. But you still have to report your income and then apply the credit on the tax form.

 

Hopefully you can eventually get citizenship here and renounce your US citizenship, in which case you won't have to keep filing US tax returns. But until then, you still have to, and if you ever hold $10,000 or more in accounts over here, you'll need to file an FBAR by April 15 each year.

 

So if you earn over 100 grand a year then you are taxed twice on everything over that? 

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5 minutes ago, Riddley Walker said:

So if you earn over 100 grand a year then you are taxed twice on everything over that? 

 

Yep.

 

And in my case, I'm technically "self-employed", so I have to pay social security (essentially, Nat'l Insurance) contributions on all my income twice: Once as my own employer, and once on myself. It's normally split between employer and employee.

 

Yet anyone who earns over $142,800 doesn't have to pay any social security contributions on their wages above that amount. $1 million? $10 million? $100 million? Doesn't matter, not a penny more paid.

 

But folks who make 25 grand or something working for themselves? Double taxed. And that's true for all taxpayers, not just overseas taxpayers.

 

Land of the free, baby.

 

Edited by Justin Z
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Riddley Walker
15 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

Yep.

 

And in my case, I'm technically "self-employed", so I have to pay social security (essentially, Nat'l Insurance) contributions on all my income twice: Once as my own employer, and once on myself. It's normally split between employer and employee.

 

Yet anyone who earns over $142,800 doesn't have to pay any social security contributions on their wages above that amount. $1 million? $10 million? $100 million? Doesn't matter, not a penny more paid.

 

But folks who make 25 grand or something working for themselves? Double taxed. And that's true for all taxpayers, not just overseas taxpayers.

 

Land of the free, baby.

 

 

Such bullshit. 

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On 10/02/2021 at 11:18, jack D and coke said:

That drives me mad in the states. I understand that’s actually how they make their wages but it rips my jimmys tae feck after a few days. Everywhere people have their hand out for a few bucks for even holding a fecking door open for you or lifting your bags without you asking them to. I’ll tip for good service but it’s like everytime someone looks at you over there ffs :lol: 

 

So true. Was in New York 2 years ago and met our Scottish friends in an Italian in South Manhattan. 

 

It was a bang average meal with the aforesaid bland tomato sauce on pasta. The bill was 340 dollars for 4 of us. My friend who is as tight as a badgers bum saw it had a 20% service charge included. 

 

He called the big Italian waiter over and told him to take it off and we would decide what the tip would be. If looks could kill. But soon realised that everywhere has a minimum 10% service charge included and more often than not 15 to 20%.

 

 

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10 minutes ago, Peakybunnet said:

 

So true. Was in New York 2 years ago and met our Scottish friends in an Italian in South Manhattan. 

 

It was a bang average meal with the aforesaid bland tomato sauce on pasta. The bill was 340 dollars for 4 of us. My friend who is as tight as a badgers bum saw it had a 20% service charge included. 

 

He called the big Italian waiter over and told him to take it off and we would decide what the tip would be. If looks could kill. But soon realised that everywhere has a minimum 10% service charge included and more often than not 15 to 20%.

 

 

It's ridiculous. And especially the idea that it's based on a percentage. You could have excellent service somewhere with cheap food, shitty service somewhere with expensive food, and the shitty server gets a bigger tip. 

 

And that's completely ignoring the fact that the business are essentially passing on the responsibility of providing a fair wage direct to the ****ing consumer. If you can't afford to pay your staff fairly, your business is shit. 

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The Real Maroonblood
Just now, Norm said:

It's ridiculous. And especially the idea that it's based on a percentage. You could have excellent service somewhere with cheap food, shitty service somewhere with expensive food, and the shitty server gets a bigger tip. 

 

And that's completely ignoring the fact that the business are essentially passing on the responsibility of providing a fair wage direct to the ****ing consumer. If you can't afford to pay your staff fairly, your business is shit. 

:spoton:

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30 minutes ago, Norm said:

It's ridiculous. And especially the idea that it's based on a percentage. You could have excellent service somewhere with cheap food, shitty service somewhere with expensive food, and the shitty server gets a bigger tip. 

 

And that's completely ignoring the fact that the business are essentially passing on the responsibility of providing a fair wage direct to the ****ing consumer. If you can't afford to pay your staff fairly, your business is shit. 

I’m sure I’ve posted this before but I met a girl in LA in 2007 that was a friend’s cousin. She worked in a bar in Orange County and her basic wage was $250 a fortnight, basically enough to pay her rent. The rest of her income was tips however she made a lot of money. She was totally honest about her tactics though, if she was worked a shift midweek she’d make up to $100 a night in tips. If she worked a Friday or Saturday when the bar was really busy she’d go full “tits and teeth” as she put it. Very pretty girl with a fantastic figure she’d go for a tight vest top and a short skirt or shorts. On a good weekend night she could make up to $400 in tips as the clientele got drunker and thought they had a chance of impressing her. Pretty impressive earnings but the bar was in an area where a lot of rich young students lived. 
I don’t mind tipping bar staff in the US as they work damned hard with staffing levels less than you’re used to seeing in the UK. 

Edited by Tazio
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2 minutes ago, Tazio said:

I’m sure I’ve posted this before but I met a girl in LA in 2007 that was a friend’s cousin. She worked in a bar in Orange County and her basic wage was $250 a fortnight, basically enough to pay her rent. The rest of her income was tips however she made a lot of money. She was totally honest about her tactics though, if she was worked a shift midweek she’d make up to $100 a night in tips. If she worked a Friday or Saturday when the bar was really busy she’d go full “tits and teeth” as she put it. Very pretty girl with a fantastic figure she’d go for a tight vest tip and a short skirt or shorts. On a good weekend night she could make up to $400 in tips as the clientele got drunker and thought they had a chance of impressing her. Pretty impressive earnings but the bar was in an area where a lot of rich young students lived. 
I don’t mind tipping bar staff in the US as they work damned hard with staffing levels less than you’re used to seeing in the UK. 

Do they have less staff? From what I know of American bars, which is admittedly little, you have your barman, which is the guy you'll see and deal with. But they've also got folk just collecting glasses, barbacks who keep everything stocked. Over here, or at least it was when I worked it 10 years ago, your barman did all of that.

 

And I definitely don't mind tipping my bar staff, if I'm in for a while or they're a decent sort, I'll always chuck one in the tap for them. But I did that once in the Caymans, where its very Americanised in the service industry, and the guy still expected a bloody tip on top of that! 

 

And no offence, but in some places where all you're asking for is a bottle of beer and all they're doing is opening the ****ing thing, there's not a hope in hell that deserves a tip in my book. If they're overworked and underpaid, the business should be the one to rectify that, not the customer. 

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24 minutes ago, Norm said:

Do they have less staff? From what I know of American bars, which is admittedly little, you have your barman, which is the guy you'll see and deal with. But they've also got folk just collecting glasses, barbacks who keep everything stocked. Over here, or at least it was when I worked it 10 years ago, your barman did all of that.

 

And I definitely don't mind tipping my bar staff, if I'm in for a while or they're a decent sort, I'll always chuck one in the tap for them. But I did that once in the Caymans, where its very Americanised in the service industry, and the guy still expected a bloody tip on top of that! 

 

And no offence, but in some places where all you're asking for is a bottle of beer and all they're doing is opening the ****ing thing, there's not a hope in hell that deserves a tip in my book. If they're overworked and underpaid, the business should be the one to rectify that, not the customer. 

Many years ago went into the Old Ebbit Grill Washington DC whilst visiting the late Tom Heaney in the states for Sunday morning breakfast.

Was greeted with a shout from the barman in a broad west coast Scottish accent. Feck off you are not coming in here wearing that shite( I had on a far from Gorgie UssA Hearts supporters T-shirt on curtesy of Bill Duff), heavens knows what the American customers thought of that greeting.

Anyways the barman was a pal of Tom's, despite being a Sevco supporter. Anyways informed us that breakfast was on him as the previous Thursday evening there at been a retirement party for a secret service agent and there had been approx 100 guests and he had made over a thousand dollars in tips.

He had given his Bussboy two hundred and fifty dollars and had pocketed the rest for himself.

Very nice breakfast too.

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I just has some of the gold star chippie sauce on some haddock and chips - its amazing, thanks jambos for pointing it out.

 

I also picked up gold star pickled onions in Morrisons, they fair blow your head off too.  I'm beginning to think that most of the British fish and chip shop experience is down to condiments and picked onions, not because they cook fish better.

 

Next question, should i let @dorothy experience Javits or the Jubilee first, or be posh and order from further afield?

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Konrad von Carstein
13 minutes ago, Captain Slog said:

I just has some of the gold star chippie sauce on some haddock and chips - its amazing, thanks jambos for pointing it out.

 

I also picked up gold star pickled onions in Morrisons, they fair blow your head off too.  I'm beginning to think that most of the British fish and chip shop experience is down to condiments and picked onions, not because they cook fish better.

 

Next question, should i let @dorothy experience Javits or the Jubilee first, or be posh and order from further afield?

 When I worked at Ferranti/BAE Systems at the Silverknowes site we would fire down there at lunchtime fairly regularly it was fantastic...20+ years ago so not sure if it's maintained it's standards unlike the Corbie which a poster on here says is crap nowadays...used to be decent.

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30 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

 When I worked at Ferranti/BAE Systems at the Silverknowes site we would fire down there at lunchtime fairly regularly it was fantastic...20+ years ago so not sure if it's maintained it's standards unlike the Corbie which a poster on here says is crap nowadays...used to be decent.

I live a minutes walk from the Corbie. It’s adequate. Pizzas are good and the fish is as well if you time it right and get it straight out the fryer. It must make a fortune though as there are normally about 6 staff or more. 

Edited by Tazio
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Konrad von Carstein
33 minutes ago, Tazio said:

I live a minutes walk from the Corbie. It’s adequate. Pizzas are good and the fish is as well if you time it right and get it straight out the fryer. It must make a fortune though as there are normally about 6 staff or more. 

How difficult is it to run a decent chippy? Clean the oil, use real potatoes for your chips etc etc Adequate is such a low bar...

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On 21/02/2021 at 13:25, Justin Z said:

 

Yep.

 

And in my case, I'm technically "self-employed", so I have to pay social security (essentially, Nat'l Insurance) contributions on all my income twice: Once as my own employer, and once on myself. It's normally split between employer and employee.

 

Yet anyone who earns over $142,800 doesn't have to pay any social security contributions on their wages above that amount. $1 million? $10 million? $100 million? Doesn't matter, not a penny more paid.

 

But folks who make 25 grand or something working for themselves? Double taxed. And that's true for all taxpayers, not just overseas taxpayers.

 

Land of the free, baby.

 

 

It is, or certainly was, the same here if you're self-employed and running your own Limited Company. When I was doing this as an IT contractor, I was paying NI twice - as an employer and employee - even though I was a one-man band. I usually paid more in NI every month than I did in income-tax and I was playing plenty of that too...   

 

:muggy:

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Americans order a bowl of salad and eat the whole lot before the "entree". First time I got this was when my "server" apologised when she tried to take it away and said "I forgot you English eat it with your entree". 

When you order  a meal but it also includes a salad (see above) or soup & bread. What is that all about ? 

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