Too Bad it's In Spain

Posted by scojohnson 8 years, 7 months ago to Going Galt
29 comments | Share | Flag

Something tells me we wouldn't have much for property rights...
SOURCE URL: http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/mar/10/for-sale-spanish-village-free-right-owner


Add Comment

FORMATTING HELP

All Comments Hide marked as read Mark all as read

  • Posted by RonC 8 years, 7 months ago
    There is no doubt an AS community would probably be successful, in many locations. I think that is the germination of a problem. If we were self sufficient in out living, earned cash from tourists. and created a profitable agri business, how long before the host country would demand their fair share. If you have something good, the mooches always want some of it.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
      I only suggested it as being a little more under the radar than petrochemical or other avenues suggested.

      It's a complex problem, we would need revenue to be able to exist and trade for the resources we cannot produce locally. Become too successful, and others want a cut.

      The upside of cash-based businesses is the obvious ability to kind of declare as much as you want to.

      One potential... declare as a religion and exist much like the Amish do now.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 7 months ago
    This is the sort of real estate opportunity that I was suggesting might come up in my Purchasing Atlantis from a debt-ridden country thread.
    Reply | Mark as read | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 7 months ago
      I agree. The right property could be a great opportunity. I think there may be too many strings attached on this one though.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
      • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
        I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

        finding something like this in the right surrounding governmental structure would be interesting though.

        I also doubt we would ever find it in a debt-ridden country. Any banana republic will just outlaw the agreement they made before with the stroke of a pen when they suddenly want more tax revenue.
        Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
      • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
        Anything in the EU is a non-starter. US is bad enough, our more leftist liberals would even blush at their taxation though.

        That brings up another issue... while completely anti-philosophy, we would need some minor/basic taxes for establishment and maintenance of community infrastructure. Roads, a water system if desired/needed, equipment for a volunteer fire department, probably a community clinic of some type, and the like. I'm a strong believer in pay your own way, if you see the doctor, you pay the bill, but some up-front expenses are always needed to establish some basic services.

        Maybe a buy-in similar to what they do for private golf course communities, just with a lower buy-in that fits the requirements and needs of the establishment rather than the "prestige" of being dumb enough to spend $100,000 on being a "golf member". I don't play golf, maybe others see value in it. I've always found myself being treated poorly and looked down-upon at those places and I probably make double or triple the going average of the rest of them.

        For the most part, well water and septic systems for most of the residences reduce the costs for everyone and keep it simple, but we'll need some fire hydrants, sidewalks, park maintenance - in center center of town, that type of thing. Probably low-buck stuff.
        Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
        • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 7 months ago
          No taxes. Fees for users. Sidewalks are optional; I will walk in the grass/dirt/mud, thanks, unless I see a financial incentive, which could be the case for my business. Don't overburden it with cosmetic infrastructure unless you are anxious to attract people who believe that looks are more important than production. If you want to do so yourself because it benefits your company or for some other reason, have at it.
          Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
    • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
      A tax haven with a tourism industry attraction element while having basic revenue generation - such as orchards / farming / etc. might be the angle.

      While others have mentioned petrochemical & such, stuff like that has a very high capital bar of entry, requires a lot of technical expertise, and the emergency responders to accidents & such that immediately bloat the population.

      I think a more simple approach with tourism, agriculture, specialty products, software industry, various technology development, and a 'simple life' would be more attractive.

      The model would need to assume that immigrants bring their own skills and capital.
      Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
      • Posted by $ jbrenner 8 years, 7 months ago
        Another Gulcher suggested being the "neutral site" data storage platform for the world. This has quite a few plusses.
        Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
        • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
          The challenge with something like that though is the UN rolling down with copyright violations, making the place a cyber target for sovereign nation espionage assets, etc. It would be very short-sighted and would doom the place very quickly.

          "Independence" is one thing, but it doesn't stop the strike teams to enforce their copyright laws or to gain access to the data of others.

          You also have other concerns, like the cost of power generation infrastructure, cooling systems, and the like. You are into hundreds of millions very easily for a data center if you didn't have the utility grid to simply connect to and add a couple of Caterpillar diesel generators for failover.

          I'm thinking beer & wine production (high margin agricultural products), the web marketing that goes with both..

          A different spin on the 'neutral data' idea though would be the idea of a duty-free import/export zone... which is the engine that drove Dubai's development.
          Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
          • Posted by TheRealBill 8 years, 7 months ago
            If Only Texas was for sale. ;)
            Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
            • Posted by freedomforall 8 years, 7 months ago
              I'd settle for South Padre Island as an independent nation.
              Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
              • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
                I was actually thinking maybe Baja California might be a possibility.

                there is a precedent for special tax privileges & such and is the only area in Mexico that allows foreign investment and ownership. I think the taxes in Mexico are so small so as to not really be an issue anyway.

                My chief requirement personally is free gun ownership, that wouldn't be in the cards there. Any time you have a corrupt regime, the last thing they want is a self-defended populace.

                Norway is pretty liberal in that regard actually, even more so than the US.

                What about just establishing a settlement in the Yukon or something?
                Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
            • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
              21% sales tax in Spain... on top of the 24+% income taxes.. and the 35% capital gains tax if you sell a property...

              So buying one of their shit-piles, would be 24% sales tax on materials to fix it up, and 35% tax + sales charges selling the thing... pretty easy to evaporate a $250,000 rehab budget into $40,000 left after a hell of a lot of work..
              Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
            • Posted by 8 years, 7 months ago
              Good God... I looked up 'taxes in Spain'. OMG.

              I need to keep the California libtards in our capitol away from it or they will have a boat-load of new ideas...

              http://www.strongabogados.com/taxes.p...
              Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  
              • Comment hidden by post owner or admin, or due to low comment or member score. View Comment
              • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 8 years, 6 months ago
                Really think you are wise in looking but looking too far. I range over a goodly area but 150 or so miles south of the border in the State of Sonora it's all a freezone

                When I do venture north for the dollar store and walmart prices (US walmart is much different than Mexico Walmart, we get a $300 break with no border duty $500 at Christmas time. Do it right and learn the ways you'll find the 16% border import tax often doesn't exist. From what I see around the Latin American area the rules are 50 plus miles south of the border or more, check with the locals for tips on where to go and to not go and stay fairly close ot the US Border so it's not an overnight drive or bus trip.

                As for the law in Mexico the days of mordida for everything are gone, using yur common sense the crime rate is low as compared to north of the border, and things in general have changed a lot. it's not $500 a month any more but considering the massive slam the US government gave it's citizens and looking at housing, property tax, income tax or all the rest it's a huge step uip in economic status. Since most are transporting millions of dollars or even hundreds of thousands the movement of funds across the border and keeping below the $10K limit imposed by the US is not all that difficult nor expensive. And you can get back to visit the family. My favorite area and most of the others have a good expat community some stay all year (with AC) and some go north in the summer.but you do get a choice. As for the police and federales it isn't the sixties any more.All of that went north with the advent of the Patriot Act. USA and USM have traded places.
                But the gulch is still a state of mind. You are either in or out.
                Reply | Mark as read | Parent | Best of... | Permalink  

FORMATTING HELP

  • Comment hidden. Undo