DungeonMan Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hello. After residency, I am planning on working in an area where income tax is low to nonexistant. Canada is not one of those places. So, does anyone here know of physician job opportunities and salaries in countries like the Cayman Islands, St.Kitts & Nevis, or Bermuda? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralDoc Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 My (Canadian) cousin is married to a Native Costa Rican who was also a physician there.. They live there for two main reasons: low taxes and good weather. This physician left medicine soon after she started. The pay is very low compared to Canada. Also, they have to live in a gated compound due to security issues. Crime is a problem since they don't have as good of a police force as Canada. Also, the roads are extremely bumpy and in bad shape there. There are many health issues related to poverty such as inability to pay for medical care or medications. A number of Canadian physicians retire there. One I read about was doing tours to raise money for local kids. You can also volunteer as a physician there to see if you like it... My impression at first was like you.. I was upset about paying so much tax as a Canadian physician. But hearing from this physician makes me rethink things. I appreciate being able to go out for a hike and not worry about being robbed, not having to live in a guarded compound, being able to call the police if I ever needed to for help, having good roads to drive on, inspected public swimming pools and restaurants, health care, and having government-run social programs to help the poor. When I am older, I will have payed a lot of tax, but I will also have access to high quality (although not perfect) medical care that might not be available in places where there is no tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meredith Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 I am curious why you want to pay no taxes? Because you would like to enjoy a higher salary, or do you have a beef with the government and how it spends its money? I think that Canadian taxpayers subsidize medical education (while we do have a lot of debt after graduation, it could be worse without this subsidization), and by paying taxes we ensure that we live in a country with certain services, and "give back" to the generations that helped us out, and give to the generations that will come. Not that income tax is perfect, though... I don't mean to jump on you, it is your choice... I am genuinely curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DungeonMan Posted June 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 I personally disagree completely with the notion of income tax. Money that I earn by working should be mine, and what I use it for should be entirely my decision. Furthermore, although I can see the benefit of income tax in a country with universal health care, I believe that the funds are being entirely mismanaged. Additionally, much of what my tax dollars go towards in Canada are endeavors that I completely disagree with. If I had the entirely democratic right to select exactly where my tax dollars went, I would not have as much of an issue with it. Since that does not exist, I do not want to fund things I do not support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noncestvrai Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Bro, you have to pay for the roads, the police, the schools... It's not like you can opt out. You can go to Gulf countries, and make a killing. noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medwannabe08 Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hahaha, is this guy for real? I hope you "opted out" of your subsidized medical education and paid the $40k or $50k /year that it actually costs. Same with your elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education. In addition to the roads you drive on, utilities you use etc. Well, there's always south of the border. Some of those NE states are pretty Libertarian. Or maybe just go to some 3rd world country - you likely won't pay any income tax - but your tax will come out through the bribes, protection money, and all those other services. Not to mention it'd be impossible to benefit from economies of scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DungeonMan Posted June 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hahaha, is this guy for real? Hello medwannabe, yes. I'm real. If you look at the statistics for Canada and the US, more and more people are leaving for countries with lower tax rates but similar qualities of life. Although you can disagree with my disenfranchisement with the Canadian income tax system, you have no right to be sanctimonious about it - maybe you should worry about getting into med school first. I do not see any advantage in putting money in the pockets of those who would propagate something as vile as the Quebec sponsorship scandal, or something as money-sucking as the Olympics or the Afghanistan mission. Infrastructure is fine and all, but I do not want to be forced to pay for the things I do not support. I asked if anyone had any info about, or knew of any MDs, who left Canada or the US for a tax haven, and what they had to do to get everything set up, as well as the quality of life issues that one might face in moving to a new country. If anyone could further answer my questions Id be grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Infrastructure is fine and all, but I do not want to be forced to pay for the things I do not support. You sound like a cousin of mine, who regularly rants about having to pay taxes to support the education system despite not having children. *facepalm* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvenstar Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 I personally disagree completely with the notion of income tax. Money that I earn by working should be mine, and what I use it for should be entirely my decision. Furthermore, although I can see the benefit of income tax in a country with universal health care, I believe that the funds are being entirely mismanaged. Additionally, much of what my tax dollars go towards in Canada are endeavors that I completely disagree with. If I had the entirely democratic right to select exactly where my tax dollars went, I would not have as much of an issue with it. Since that does not exist, I do not want to fund things I do not support. Well I don't disagree with the notion of income tax, I do have a beef (to quote meredith) as to how it is managed and proportioned. Mind you I am truly in favor of having a salary cap on politicians that is about half of what the big boys (higher up politicians) are making....and then I am in favor of just putting most of our politicians on a crappy boat and sending them off to sea, or else just a good ol'beheading as a warning for the next generation of politicians to stop F***ing around and do some actual good for this country. How I miss Trudeau.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noncestvrai Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 How I miss Trudeau.... I don't. I hope his centralist views never reach the PM position again. noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvenstar Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 I don't. I hope his centralist views never reach the PM position again. noncestvrai I hope we one day have a PM who was as nationalistic as he was. Canada looks like the states B**** because of our PMs lacking a backbone. It's long past due that we disillusioned the states of this belief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xyz Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 nationalistic? you have got to be kidding me! Trudeau bankrupted nearly all of western canada with his national energy policy! Oh but I guess all those people don't count in your "nationalistic" view of canada. It took us decades to recover and now the west is smarter and we don't build pipelines east anymore. Just west and south and for that reason central Canada is now at the mercy of Saudi oil men. Trudeau was at best narrow minded and at worst a patsy for the Central Canadian manufacturing lobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastalslacker Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 How I miss Trudeau.... LOL. Wow, you must be older than I thought. Or not. How I miss FDR, those were the days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvenstar Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 nationalistic? you have got to be kidding me! Trudeau bankrupted nearly all of western canada with his national energy policy! Oh but I guess all those people don't count in your "nationalistic" view of canada. It took us decades to recover and now the west is smarter and we don't build pipelines east anymore. Just west and south and for that reason central Canada is now at the mercy of Saudi oil men. Trudeau was at best narrow minded and at worst a patsy for the Central Canadian manufacturing lobby. Lol....LOL....LMFAO....ROFL...Ah yes, you must be from Alberta, some of the oil families in this province can be soo....American. I am a pureblood BC boy. I also love how you talk about us not being at the mercy of anyone for gas or oil anymore. You know considering a refinery closed down this year. Then there is the fact that we ship our oil to the states, where they refine it and ship it back to us. No it makes so much sense, they are expected to top out at 93cents a litre this summer, while us in this region of Canada are hoping that we don't actually hit $1.30 a liter. Normally I would love to sit around, debate politics, and generally annihilate your soul for thinking of our southern neighbors as "our big brother". However summer session 1 is almost over, and I have finals for three classes comming up so, another time perhaps? Coastalslacker, I used to be big in history and politics when I was younger, and participating in a political SIM world online. I am not sure the age you think I am at. If memory serves we have "heatedly debated" each other once or twice so I am not quite sure what age you believe me to be, or how exactly you view me. No offense meant by that of course, you do have my respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xyz Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 please…..don’t degrade a legitimate discussion into an anti-American tirade. No, I am not from Alberta. No, I don’t think of our southern neighbors are our “big brother”. First, the price of gas difference between these two countries is largely made up of tax differences. Second, we pipe oil to the united stated which is then bought at a world price…not at a bargain. Third, the reason we don’t have significant refining in this country is because we don’t have a competitive advantage to do so. Canada doesn’t have the capital or the labour force necessary. We produce oil (and many other natural resources) at a competitive advantage. It wouldn’t make any sense for us to divert significant resources to refining. Take an economics class next time before you spout off nonsense economic theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_B Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 please…..don’t degrade a legitimate discussion into an anti-American tirade. I thought this thread was about getting a job in a tax haven? If anyone seriously wants to do this, there is a great option. Join the military. They pretty well guarantee that they will ship you overseas if you are a medical officer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medwannabe08 Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 I do not see any advantage in putting money in the pockets of those who would propagate something as vile as the Quebec sponsorship scandal, or something as money-sucking as the Olympics or the Afghanistan mission. Infrastructure is fine and all, but I do not want to be forced to pay for the things I do not support. You are borderline ridiculous (and quite hilarious all the while demonstrating a remarkable capacity for narrow mindedness). In your case, I suggest you move to an island. An island with a population of one. Yourself. That way, you can't disagree with anyone about how and where money is directed and you won't have the problem of not being in support of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted June 8, 2008 Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 I know a doc who worked in the United Arab Emirates for a few years before retiring. You could look into there. There are often adds for UAE and Saudi etc but often I think you need to have some years of experience under your belt. Taxes do suck, but we enjoy a very good quality of life as a result of paying them. So imo if you plan to live here you really should expect to pay some taxes. The doc mentionned above has made alot of contributions to the health of Canadians on many levels, so he didn`t just get his education and abandon the country. Which is kind of the impression some of us may have gotten from your post. You get a say in where your money goes when you vote...since you are voting for the person you would like to represent you and make decisions on your behalf. Obviously if every Canadian made their own decision about exactly where every single penny went, our country would be in a chaotic mess. I don`t know how much you have had the opportunity to travel in developping countries. But it can be eye opening and frankly makes you appreciate taxes and all the other things we think are big pains in the butt. I like having garbage collection, I think it is great that we have water treatment plants, I like the security of knowing that if I ever need to call the police...there are some around that can address my issue, I like that I can drive to work on roads that don`t contain potholes the size of myself, I like that when I get pulled over for speeding (yes it has happened) I am not afraid that the cop is gonna try a get a bribe to supplement his income paid from the government that isn`t enough to support a family, I even appreciate drive clean tests....no kidding...cause after breathing in so much crap air in places that can only afford to buy second hand vehicle that don't pass standards in developped countries I happily go pay for my drive clean test. I can go on and on even more but I think everyone gets the point. Taxes are a good thing. If you don`t like how our money is being managed why not get involved and try and change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DungeonMan Posted June 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2008 Wow. Medwannabe, get off your high horse! Its morons like you that allow crooked politicians to get away with wasting our money. Idiot. Go study for the MCAT or suck up to your profs or something. Hi Satsuma, a good post. I do agree that infrastructure and our general ease of living is contingent on our tax system. . However, the sheer mismanagement and inefficiency of our government programs, as well as the insane amount of wasted tax dollars used on frivolous things, make me not want to supply the government with any of my money at all. I'd rather take my business elsewhere. Voting is a passive, and in my opinion ineffective, way to change things. Choosing which rich white Rosedalian gets to give speeches on TV is far from what I'd call influencing change. IMO, the only true way to change things is to move your money. After all, money makes the world go round. Those citizens and organizations with the most money have the most influence on the political spectrum. Sure, I'm going to get a lot of flack for my staunch libertarian views, but its true. Thus, Satsuma, if I am going to make any substantial change, I'd have to amass enough wealth to do so. Paying over half of my income to a confused government isn't going to help. I think its funny that instead of getting real advice or help on this issue, I get a whole lot of sanctimonious ramblings. I bet you all lived very comfortable lives, right? Nothings scarier than a dissident, it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvenstar Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 well if you didn't want people to crack jokes maybe you should ask a little more realistic of a question. You are going to pay taxes no matter where you go. Some places may be cheaper than others, but realistically you are not going to see a huge difference in savings. ESPECIALLY for the reasons you want to save money for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medwannabe08 Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Wow. Medwannabe, get off your high horse! Its morons like you that allow crooked politicians to get away with wasting our money. Idiot. Go study for the MCAT or suck up to your profs or something.[/Quote] Again, you come off as the moron here. Good for you that you're in residency and woe is me I have yet to start medicine, but it doesn't negate the fact you sound ludicrious. As far as I'm concerned, the admissions system failed when they funded you through medical school. Failed again when they funded you through residency. Unless you were living under a rock before you started your medical training (which by your continued ranting about how "wasteful" the system is I would not be surprised), you knew full well the state of Canadian public policy and politics and the taxes you'd be subjected to when you start working. But no, I guess your hypocritical libertarian views weren't against receiving support when it was in your favour. In some perverted sense, you're a living example of tax dollars being wasted: education, social services, and healthcare dollars spent on someone who won't be contributing back to the system. Don't colour yourself as some sort of "dissident" who's thinking outside of the box. Because you're not. You're just another narcissistic armchair politico moaning and ranting about how the system is wasteful and broken, all the while ironically refusing to engage in the very means that will allow you to express your opinions. In the end however, it's not people like me that allow these so called corrupt politicians to run away with our money. It's sorry people like you who shut up and put up (whether it be through a refusal to engage in the system or abandoning it altogether) who are the ones that allow governments to get away with anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvenstar Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 hey now, don't be giving armchairs a bad name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newguy? Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 luxumberg, lichtenstein, san marino, monaco, which are all in europe, and with the same quality of life, if you wanted more ideas. The last 2 might be hard to get into, as they control the population sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 If anyone seriously wants to do this, there is a great option. Join the military. They pretty well guarantee that they will ship you overseas if you are a medical officer. Even though you'd be working overseas, wouldn't you still be paid through the Canadian system, and thus pay the same taxes just like everyone else? I mean, you're still working for the Canadian gov't and all. Although I do agree that, if your heart is in it, this is a great option - med school paid for, salary while in med school (50K or something like that!), requirement of 5 years post-residency service. You end up coming out of it completely free and clear of debt and with some experience under your belt. Sounds great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolvenstar Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Even though you'd be working overseas, wouldn't you still be paid through the Canadian system, and thus pay the same taxes just like everyone else? I mean, you're still working for the Canadian gov't and all. Although I do agree that, if your heart is in it, this is a great option - med school paid for, salary while in med school (50K or something like that!), requirement of 5 years post-residency service. You end up coming out of it completely free and clear of debt and with some experience under your belt. Sounds great! That's only if you take the MOTP route. Although If you wait till you are done med school, or you are someone most of the way through med school, you can still sign up. If you have completed medschool and sign up for the military as a doctor the signing bonus is rather lucrative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.