Rising number of Brits could head to New Zealand

Whilst many Brits may have jetted off to New Zealand for a long vacation to enjoy the beauty, natural surroundings, and sights, it has been revealed that many have made their minds up to go there and not bother coming back.

Industry officials have said that over the past year there has been a rise of around 20 percent in the number of Brits heading to New Zealand on a permanent basis rather than a holiday, and due to the economic gloom, rising unemployment, and higher taxes that Brits are now facing this figure is likely to soar even further.

Following the introduction of a super tax of 50p to start next year, which Alistair Darling announced in his recent budget, it is thought that more and more people will flee to the New Zealand, where crime is low, taxes are not as high as the UK, and where unemployment levels are lower than the soaring levels of job losses in the UK.

Unemployment levels have now passed 2.2 million in the UK, and are at their highest in over a decade. The ongoing recession means that the situation could continue to get worse.

The super tax that was announced by Darling recently has led many industry experts to predict that much of the country’s top talent will up and leave as a result of the tax, and this could actually do more damage than good as the country would lose a lot of talent and there would be fewer people to pay the high level of tax that Darling is hoping for.

One industry official said: ‘The effects of the recession appear to have spurred a lot of people into taking the plunge and making a permanent move abroad. There is still a huge variety of opportunities available for skilled British workers who are keen to move to New Zealand, from traditional occupations such as doctors, teachers and nurses to more unusual skills such as skydiving instructors and animators.’

Tags: 50p personal tax, official, traditional occupations, 50p, super tax, unemployment, new zealand, year