The
Island of Tabarca, Alicante
Warning!
Don't be deceived
When
it comes to believing that something good is going to
happen to us, most of us can be tempted into taking
things at face value.
For example, there are fraudulent emails around claiming
to have been sent from the Spanish Tax Authority
and announcing a rebate - if you enter your account
details first! Now, a client has contacted us about
a letter they had received claiming they were a winner
in the Spanish national lottery. Again, it's
fraudulent.
This letter announced that our client had won hundreds
of thousand of euros which were ready to claim once
he'd paid 10% of the prize money.
The letter immediately sends out warning signals:
- It contained poor grammar and was written in a 'sloppy'
way
- It required money to be sent before anything could
be claimed
- The person receiving the letter has not entered any
draw - he had been 'selected' In the end, there is very
little that truly falls into our lap.
In the end, there is very little that truly falls into
our lap.
Tread
carefully
It's
an unfortunate fact that with every new piece of
legislation it seems as though there is someone
waiting to jump on the bandwagon and sell you something
to enable you to 'comply'.
You may already have seen this article in the Telegraph
warning expats about fraudulent energy certificates:
spanishpropertyinsight.com
If
not, it's worth reading particularly if you are intending
to sell your property or rent it out in the near future.
Do
you like Hemingway?
If
you do then you might be interested in this website
dedicated to him - if you've not found it already:
thehemingwayproject.com
The
Hemingway Project is a collection of blogs, interviews,
reflections all around the theme of Ernest Hemingway,
and the perception of the world as portrayed in his
books. If you've read and enjoyed his writing - or even
if you're just curious, it's worth a visit.
British
behaviour abroad
Apologies
to our other nationalities, we only have here the British
statistics. They tell us how many Brits travelled to
different countries, live in different countries and
ways in which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
has had to help them. Not surprisingly, the FCO are
keen to point out that alcohol is at the root of many
problems that Brits have when they are abroad.
Along with the statistics it provides some useful advice
for those travelling and indicates what the FCO can
and can't do on your behalf.
The
Island of Tabarca, Alicante
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The
power of attorney - a handy way of purchasing property
from a distance
The
weather is beautiful and the streets are full of people
on holiday enjoying the sun, the atmosphere and the
food. Many of them are also glancing in estate agents'
windows. Whilst you are here on holiday it can set you
thinking that perhaps buying a holiday home in
Spain would be a good investment.
With prices at a record low we are seeing considerable
interest from purchasers. But what if you find your
ideal property at the end of your holiday? How can you
purchase your property when you are back in your own
country again?
The good news is that this is perfectly possible. If
you have found your property but just don't have time
to go through the purchasing process whilst you are
still in Spain, the power of attorney is one
way of doing it.
If you would like to find out more about the power of
attorney and how you can purchase a Spanish property
whilst in another country, read our article on Spain
Explained:
abacoadvisers.com
Which
is your favourite airline?
'Which'
magazine has been doing research into consumers' favourite
airline. You have to pay to get the full details but
Tumbit does share with us a few headlines from their
report. BA comes top and Ryan Air bottom. Perhaps not
surprising considering the bad publicity that Ryan air
has recently been attracting:
tumbit.com
The
future of fast trains
The
tragic train crash in Santiago de Compostela brought
rail travel into the spotlight. This is an interesting
article about the present and future of Spain's rail
network translated into English from El País:
presseurop.eu
Celebrating
Dawn
You do get some beautiful sunsets and sunrises
in Spain. Here are just a few of them, taken by Forum
members:
torreviejaforums.com
A
famous client
Brian Young has been a client of Ábaco's for six years
and is thoroughly delighted with his house in Polop,
Alicante. He contacted us recently with the exciting
news that his book, 'The Eagle Has Fallen' has now sold
over 10,000 copies.
The book is about a Spanish Roman legion which
disappeared without trace following their move from
Cordoba to Britain. What did happen to the Ninth Hispania
Legion?
If you want to find out more, you'll just have to read
the book! To visit the website got to:
eaglehasfallen.com
Best
barman
Who is the best barman you know? What makes them so
good? However impressive, it's unlikely that they'd
top David Rios, the Spaniard who has just been awarded
the title of Best Barman in the World. Apparently
his signature cocktail is the 'Basque Gold Punch' and
he will now spend the next 12 months on a global tour.
Lucky him.
euroweeklynews.com
Two
extra salaries
Traditionally there have been two extra salaries paid
out in July and December to employees in Spain. These
are administered a little like a Christmas bonus
might be. Although the practice is dying out to some
extent, it is still a feature of many people's salary
here. For more information:
torreviejatranslation.com
We invite
your comments,
feedback and suggestions.
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