Brexit means Britons cannot dodge taxes

A well-off 70-year-old pensioner who had dreamed of retiring to the Republic of San Marino and benefiting from its low tax rates says he had a nasty shock when he realised British people were not eligible.

Jason Andersen, a former broker and tech firm consultant from Manchester, said he had been ready to buy two properties in the tiny independent city-state surrounded by north-western Italy. San Marino is one of Europe’s tax havens.

“I always loved the idea of moving somewhere close to Italy but with a privileged taxation,” Mr Andersen, a widower, said. “My yearly pension is quite significant, roughly £95,000, which makes me the ideal candidate for San Marino. However, when I found out applicants from the UK were not accepted, I felt like the world collapsed.” The microstate’s law, which was approved in 2020 a year after Brexit came into force, states that pensioners are accepted from all EU countries and Switzerland, plus other countries with which San Marino has special agreements. But there is no mention of the UK. Mr Andersen, who voted Remain and doesn’t want to live in post-Brexit UK, is mulling over which other Mediterranean country he could relocate to.

“The law was approved to lure wealthy retirees to San Marino. It’s nonsense discriminating between nationalities.”