“Why the hell do I need the sun?”

I’m in Valencia these days, and I got talking to Pilar, a self-employed masseuse. When I told her I live in Copenhagen, her eyes lit up. Living in Denmark, she said, is her dream.

I asked: “How come? There’s barely any sun there.”

She said: “Why the hell do I need the sun here if I never see it? I work 10 hours a day. I’m a single mom. At night I sleep at an old man’s house and cook him breakfast for extra income. And I haven’t had a holiday in 10 years!”

Self-employed in Spain

In Spain, self-employed people (autónomos) pay social security contributions every single month, and a minimum amount is due even when business is slow.

As Pilar put it: “The state charges us even if we don’t earn.”

Self-employed in Denmark

Denmark works differently. Self-employed people are taxed on their profit, so in a bad year you pay less, and with no profit, you pay no income tax.

On top of that, the system gives you a safety net: sick pay support (sygedagpenge), public healthcare and education, and comparatively little bureaucracy. Most of it is handled digitally.

It’s not cheap. Danish taxes are among the highest in the world. But from where Pilar is standing, the trade-off looks very attractive.

And yet, expats leave

Here’s the paradox. While Pilar dreams of Denmark, I hear more and more expats here talking about leaving.

In my work as an accountant and tax advisor, I watch a lot of expats come and go. They mostly leave because:

• the taxes feel too high
• they never really felt they belonged, and nostalgia for their roots pulls them back
• they’ve built up enough capital to invest it somewhere sunnier

Is there a place that offers it all?

Spain gives you the sun, the food and the lifestyle, but it can be a harsh place to be small and self-employed.

Denmark gives you security and a system that works, but it asks a lot in return, in taxes, in weather and sometimes in belonging.

So it left me wondering: is there a place in this world that offers us all of it? Or is there always something we, as expats, have to sacrifice?

Irina