We're at that time of year when a lot of my photos are taken in the dark, since my walk home happens after the sun sets and walking the dog in the morning occurs before (or around) dawn. I'm inside at work during nearly all our daylight hours!
I've always liked this apartment building (above) in West Hampstead, but I seldom get a clear shot of it because there are cars in front. Last night I happened to catch it at a good time. I love the stained glass windows in that central stairway.
I am back in income tax hell here because I'm trying to file UK taxes for the first time. This has to do with income from my portion of my mother's estate, which I recently inherited, and I hired a tax adviser to compile my British return, since I'm unfamiliar with the system. She has done so, and let's just say my tax liability is higher than I expected. I'm still trying to understand why this is, but apparently it's because the UK taxes certain income at a higher level even if it's already been reported in the USA. I'm supposed to have a conversation with her next week to go over things, so hopefully I'll understand more then.
My feeling is, if I owe it, I owe it. And I'll pay it. But I do want to make sure we're minimizing the liability and I'm not filing incorrectly in the states in ways that leave me exposed here.
Sometimes living overseas is a huge pain in the neck. Not to mention expensive.
And then the question is, what's the best way to pay the tax bill? I'd rather not convert my American money, which would mean losing a percentage to the banks, so the alternative is to pay it from our British accounts -- and at this rate, a couple of years of income taxes on my American investments would drain our savings here. Obviously that's not sustainable.
Argh!
I don't think every year will be like this year. I think this is an especially heavy burden because of distributions I had to take from my mom's retirement accounts after her death. But still.
I took this photo yesterday in the library. Remember my purple heart plant, a type of Tradescantia? It's a relative of the plant now often called a "wandering dude." I have one here at home that I've had for many years and mentioned several times on the blog.
Well, every time pieces of it break off, I root them and stick them in a pot, which I then take to the library. This is the result -- we have at least six purple hearts on the library windowsill, along with various other plants from here and there. It's getting a little ridiculous, to be honest. I guess I have to be less soft-hearted about saving every cutting!
When I lived in my flat years ago we called that plant " the purple people eater".!
ReplyDeleteI always have to make new plants after " pruning" anything. Can't bear to throw viable plant material out. If I absolutely have to I always apologise to the pieces. Am I nuts? .
No! I do the same thing! (Maybe we're both nuts.)
DeleteThe library window sill is beginning to look like my mother’s kitchen. She couldn’t throw away any trimmings or cuttings. Even the kitchen counter was cluttered with rooting cuttings. We called it the jungle. I’m glad you got a clear shot of the building. Beautiful. I find it really annoying when cars block the perfect shot.
ReplyDeleteHa! I'm glad to know other people have a "jungle."
DeleteNight and evening gives you some lovely shots...I like those windows and doorway all in line.
ReplyDeletePlants on the library windowsill...add nicely to the atmosphere...a more relaxed space to study?
I definitely like all the plants in here. (Many of them overflow from our house!)
DeleteI hope you don't have to pay USA and UK taxes on the same money!
ReplyDeleteWell, in theory, the states and the UK have a treaty that prevents that. But apparently not all income is covered by the treaty. :/
DeleteThe window sill plant is often now called a "wandering dude" but you know what it was called before. Is it now considered anti-Semitic to use the previous term?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure it's anti-semitic, exactly, but I think it's out of favor and considered insensitive. (Even though it's from a Biblical story.)
DeleteHere's an interesting article about the term and why it actually is considered antisemitic:
Deletehttps://tradescantia.uk/article/wandering-jew/
Dude is a J
Deleteew
https://www.planetnatural.com/wandering-jew/
With your complaints about taxes, are you sure you aren't a closet Republican Steve? LOL! I think our tax code is bad enough. I can't imagine having to figure out two different ones.
ReplyDeleteHa! Well, even Democrats don't want to pay MORE than they rightfully owe. :)
DeleteI have no qualms about paying what I have to pay, but I do think I need to figure out how these two tax codes work together. (Or don't!)
Like you, my working hours usually prevent me from catching any significant amount of daylight this time of year. But some days when working from home I am lucky and either all my online meetings are in the morning or there is a large enough gap in the afternoon for me to take a VERY long lunch break and go for a walk. It is still not the same like an after-work walk, because going back to work is always "looming" at the back of my mind, when I would just love to arrive home and preserve the mentally refreshed but physically a little tired feeling after a good, long walk.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the tax stuff! Hopefully, your tax lady can shed some light on things, and this year remains an exception.
I should go out more often at lunch, probably. I don't often take advantage of my lunch hour because we tend to be pretty busy then.
DeleteI won't talk taxes because it makes my head hurt.
ReplyDeleteI love that apartment building; such a classic beauty.
They make my head hurt too!
DeleteThat tax "stuff" must be so stressful. I abhor all things like that. With you mentioning being in the dark I started wondering when it gets dark in London this time of year. Since you are farther north, I am guessing around 4:00? Is that correct? Maybe it's even earlier. Here in Virginia, it starts getting dark around 5:00.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's pretty much dark by the time I leave school at 4:30.
DeleteMy brother, working all over the world, employed by a British newspaper and mostly living in the US as a Brit, regularly had both governments wanting taxes from him. Every year a fight to retain any of his income! Whatever treaties they had never seemed to apply to his situation. He would have sympathized.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm glad to know it's not just me! I hope I'm not opening up a can of worms and inviting pestering for the rest of my life.
DeleteHave you ever heard the phrase, "She works all the hours god gives her"? That's you these days, working all the hours of daylight there are.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful shot of the apartment building.
As to the purple heart plant- it does nothing for me. I have to pull it up in my yard or it, too, will try to take dominance. So yes, I say to be ruthless with those cuttings! Or fallings. Whatever.
I really like this plant. I love how prolific it is, even up here in the sunless north! (It always looks much happier in summer, though.)
DeleteYou could always have a plant sale to raise money for the library, Steve. ;)
ReplyDeleteOr to pay my tax bill? :D
DeleteI'm more impressed with those deep window sills that are able to hold pots! our days are much shorter and with the time change it's dark by 6 pm. light earlier but I'm not an early riser. if I ever moved from Texas I could only go sideways or south. I need sunlight.
ReplyDeleteYeah, British windowsills tend to be much wider, which I really like. I don't know why Americans build windowsills so narrow.
DeleteDon't worry about too many plants. This old boy had 42 plants in his classroom at one time. Some kid counted them. You have no idea how much kids love plants. I started many plants for kids.
ReplyDeleteWell they could certainly take cuttings from that purple one and grow their own jungle!
DeleteI LOVE that top photo. What a beautiful building especially lit up at night.
ReplyDeleteI have several friends who have been talking about moving to another country (after the election). I'll have to mention the "tax" thing. That should certainly be a consideration. I doubt any of them will actually move. It's a lot more complicated than people think. Besides, where would they go? The whole world seems to be a bit topsy-turvy these days.
That's what I always tell people. The crazy is everywhere.
DeleteThe apartment building looks lovely lit up. I would imagine you can get lots of nice nighttime photos living in a city. Dark is pretty much dark where I live. (except with a full moon!)
ReplyDeleteIt is an opportunity for a different type of photography, it's true!
DeleteI like lots of plants in the home and workplace. It is well known fact that plants and flowers have a calming influence on people. The air is also benefitting.
ReplyDeleteTax is one thing, but double tax (and fees) must be avoided. That's my view.
When I inherited sterling, I took a check in sterling because the UK legal firm dealing with the UK estate said they could not do an electronic transfer to my US bank and my US bank said they could take sterling but only to a San Francisco, CA location (for a fee).
My solution was: Take the sterling check and have a US brokerage house convert it to dollars and work with me to invest. No fees. No tax. It all worked well.
I am wondering if you left all the money inherited from your Mother in the US in various income generating investments, could you avoid taxes on the inheritance?
Well, that's where the money is now. It's all invested in the US, and the proceeds are staying in the US -- but I still have to report it to the British government as income, apparently.
DeleteI suspect there is a tax treaty between the UK and the US, where you can recoup taxes paid in one jurisdiction when they have been paid in another. (It's quite common between various countries) I don't know enough about the rules, but I would hope the tax advisor will be able to provide you with the necessary information. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThere is a tax treaty but my adviser is telling me that certain kinds of income are not covered or are taxed differently by the two countries. That's what I need more detail on.
DeleteOne of the many things I love about retirement is enjoying those daylight hours, which are short this time of year. I hope you can figure out what to do about the UK taxes, ugh. I dread tax time every year. This year I'll owe quite a bit because I had to take capital gains on what I cashed out to gift to my grandsons. A first world issue for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I have TWO tax seasons every year -- US and UK!
DeleteI receive royalties on US sales of a book. They want me to fill in a new form - something like a W8BEM - otherwise they will deduct 30% or even withhold it all. It's so complicated and the royalties so small I can't be bothered.
ReplyDeleteCan you move the investments into a different form that does not have double tax?
Ugh! What a nightmare! Yeah, there may be better investment opportunities and that's something I'm going to explore.
DeleteI love that top photo! I go to work in the dark & come home in the dark now too. So I do try to get out & about during lunch - which usually means going to the store and buying something I don't need. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you're getting out!
DeleteI love that first photo! Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSo...just asking...what would happen if you just took that money and invested it in a house? It just seems that leaving it invested is going to be an ongoing problem...and who can be sure about the US economy anyway, at this point. Elon Musk is warning us to expect rough times. Of course, now DJT is getting fed up with him and making comments so hard telling which way that is going to swing.
Yeah, that's a good question, and it's something we've considered. We're definitely thinking about it.
DeleteSince you've got lots of comments on the tax thing I'll just echo some of them who absolutely love that first photo and the building with it's lights.
ReplyDeleteIt was a rare opportunity to catch it with no cars in front!
DeleteI'm ruthless now. I trim the jades that hedge my patch and throw away every little piece, even picking up fallen leaves because they will send down roots and grow a whole new bush. I often wish I had planted something else instead.
ReplyDeleteI probably need to get more ruthless. We have way too many plants.
DeleteI was going to say I wonder if that wonderful apartment building had an opening for a couple of Americans who with every passing day consider being ex-pats. Then I heard about your taxes -- and now, maybe reconsidering. So sorry you have to deal with this. I hope it will be better after the initial year of the distributions.
ReplyDelete