So what’s it like to live in Gibraltar?
It might be wondered by an outside casual observer why so many multi-millionaires and aspiring professionals have chosen such a small isthmus as Gibraltar their home. Think climate, think tax, think security, think community, think activity and above all RELAX!!
Climate
Firstly climate, other offshore jurisdictions in Europe have drab cold climates in the winter. Gibraltar has mild winters and temperate summers. It is easily accessible and you can get in and out of Gibraltar on foot, by car, by boat or plane. Sun-drenched Spain is just moments away with all the fun of the Costa del Sol, golf and polo in Sotogrande, with the beautiful beaches of Cadiz just being a short drive by car.
Tax
The tax regime can be very attractive with limited annual income tax for qualifying individuals, no inheritance tax, low stamp duty when you purchase a property and no capital gains tax when you sell. Other goodies include no VAT and the cheapest prices on wines and spirits in Europe. You are saving on many key issues right from the start.
Security
Gibraltar is comparatively a very safe and secure environment to bring up kids, grow old and people in Gibraltar care about their neighbours. If you have a problem, you enjoy the full support of an effective legal system based on English common law in a language and administration which you can understand.
Community
Gibraltar is an authentic community with many art, music and cultural activities going on all the time. It boasts its own St Michaels Cave Theatre, a thriving arts club, drama groups, and many botanical, architectural, heritage and historical societies. Jewish, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim.. all religious persuasions are warmly welcomed and heartily received on the Rock without prejudice or stigma.
Sports
Sporting activities in Gibraltar include an indoor and outdoor sports arena, windsurfing, sailing, rowing, diving, climbing, jogging, hiking, tennis, squash and ten pin bowling. There is a plethora of clubs and associations to join. All are affordable and very welcoming and keen to encourage new members at any level. Golf, for obvious reasons, is played in Spain though Gibraltar does have its own golf association!!
Retail, Enterntainment and Dining
There are a number of excellent hotels to dine out in, attend a ball or accommodate friends. Your choice of good old English pubs, gourmet restaurants, marina dining, delicious curry houses, Kosher and other speciality food outlets are available. A main street stacked high with perfumes, jewellery, high fashion, lace and silks offering attractive retail therapy. Enjoy household (UK) names such as BHS, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Burger King and Pizza Hut to name but a few. Marvel at the hustle and bustle of it all. Take a coffee at a Dickensian style coffee house, enjoy café life in the recently renovated Casemates Square. There is also a multiplex cinema with the very latest releases.
Take a walk around the old city, walled, decked with palms and history. Quaint colonial architecture, the Cape Town of the north. Visit the Convent, learn from the museums, read a book in the famous Garrison library. Brave the giddy heights of the spectacular Cable Car to the top of the Rock where, apart from admiring the spectacular continental views, you can walk the nature reserve, observe Gibraltar’s unique migratory birds or just nod a cautious hello to a Barbary Macaque (monkey).
or just relax...
...when you sip sundowners from your balcony. Marvel at the distant African Rif and the constant ship activities in the Bay of Gibraltar. A luxury motor yacht might just pass you by, an eagle might soar to its nest high in the Rock above you, the Queen Elizabeth 2 might herald you with a toot from its horn… in its unique way, you’ll agree that Gibraltar is indeed a very civilised and refreshing place to live.
For further information on lifestyle, please refer to http://www.gibraltar.gov.uk/