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From business in Australia to retirement in Grandvaux
 Some people have uncommon destinies. Originally a physics teacher in the UK, Mr. B. found his life boring and lacking challenges.
After having changed careers to the computer business and having worked for many years in sales, marketing and export both in the
UK and internationally, he left Europe for Australia shortly after his 40th birthday. There, with a partner, they set up a management
consultancy and together rapidly became authorities in management consulting and company rescue, operating throughout the entire
Austral asian continent. Although highly successful and making very good income, Mr. B. and his partner were not entirely satisfied.
Income was excellent but capital growth and personal wealth were lacking. They, therefore, began to investigate an array of business
opportunities, matching them against a criterion grid that they had devised. After several months, it became clear that one opportunity
seemed to match all criterions : a specific type of waste management system which could target both the residential and industrial
communities throughout Australia. Once conceived, a new company was launched which, during its first year of operation, grew
from 5 to 1000 employees and was floated on the stock market . (remember that waste management is not high-technology and that Australia is not silicon valley). This company was eventually sold on to a large conglomerate and Mr. B. and his partner went on to
run other public companies equally successfully. Preferring to leave the game at the peak of its success, Mr. B. retired from business
life a few years after the initial IPO. He and his wife then began enjoying their early retirement between Australia, New Zealand and
England where the majority of their family ties remained. Switzerland: low taxes and conveniently located
After having lived in the Southern Hemisphere for the last 20 years, Mr. B. and his wife, both British, wanted to relocate to a less
remote part of the world. They had enjoyed life in Australia and New Zealand very much, but were tired of the 24 hours flights to see
their families in Europe. They began to look for a suitable country for retirement but did not wish to compromise the great quality of
life they had found in Australia and New Zealand. Mr. and Mrs. B. visited many places in their
search for the ideal country to retire in: <<We look at countries very much as we look at properties. What facilities do you get for the rent? You don’t simply seek the
lowest rent when looking for a suitable property but rather seek a property whose rent offers good value. For countries, the rent is,
of course, tax. We visited many countries before deciding on Switzerland. My wife and I went to Monaco, Andorra, Campione, the
Bahamas and even the Seychelles. Even though, in most of these places, you don't pay any taxes, we felt that they did not offer good
value when our own requirements for social and cultural facilities were considered.>>
Mr B. |
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Mr. B’s earlier business stay in Switzerland a quarter of a century earlier still held good memories so, after revisiting Switzerland to
check current conditions, he and his wife concluded that Switzerland offered the best facilities and qualities for their retirement: - Centrally located in the world and in Europe
- Good connections to England
- English widely spoken
- English language films, books, videos, etc freely available
- Excellent medical services
- High quality of life: good restaurants, hotels, shops, products and services
- Favorable climate, neither too wet or cold, nor too hot
- Friendly tax system
- Stunning landscapes (they got used to them in Australasia and New Zealand)
Applying for residence from New Zealand
When Mr. B first contacted us he was not sure whether it was possible for him to be a legal resident in Switzerland or the amount of tax for which he would be liable. After having explained to him the details regarding a fiscal deal B permit, and how Micheloud & Co. could take care of the everything, Mr. B. found the proposal attractive and decided to proceed. Working together, it took us a few months to gather all the required documents as they were spread over several continents, but we finally got our applications together and waited for the answers from the Swiss administration. The cantonal taxation authority swiftly approved the fiscal deal, allowing Mr. B. to pay a very acceptable yearly tax, and soon the immigration authorities approved their residence permits. Apart from one meeting at our
offices, Micheloud & Co. took care of the entire procedure while Mr. B. was a good 9000km away, in New Zealand.
Mr. B. began arranging his affairs abroad while we were receiving one approval after the other from the municipal, cantonal and
federal administrations. The duty-free importation of their personal effects, legal requirements, costs of insurances, car
importation and Swiss pet regulations were significant topics all of which were resolved to Mr. B’s satisfaction. Thus, when finally the Federal approval arrived, Mr. and Mrs. B. were ready to immediately move to Switzerland.  | | A view of the Lavaux(© Switzerland Tourism) |
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Finding a home
Mr. B. knew the Lake Geneva area very well from having lived several years in the region. He and his wife began to look for a house
between Geneva and Montreux, but after a fruitless search they came back to us for help. With our house
search service, our team was able to locate several attractive apartment and houses for rent which Mr. B. and his wife had been unable to find themselves.
They decided to rent a lovely house in a tranquil neighborhood high above Grandvaux, with a breathtaking view overlooking Lake
Geneva and the Alps. Their house extends over 3 floors and includes a big living room and open kitchen, two terraces, 4 bedrooms,
3 bathrooms and a garage in one of the most exclusive wine-growing villages of the Lavaux area, Grandvaux. Rent-wise, Mr. and
Mrs. B. are very content and feel they have found excellent value for their money. After Mr. B. and his wife had moved in, we came to ask them what it was like
to be in Switzerland: Interview of Mr. B. in Grandvaux, August 2000 |
| How does it feel like to be in Switzerland for good? |
Well, already we feel well accepted and happy with our situation. Our local environment enjoys a wide range of nationalities and
although the area is undoubtedly Swiss French in both speech and culture, we have found that the common language of
communication is English. All of our neighbors have been friendly and welcoming and any reservations that we may have been
holding prior to our arrival have long since departed from our minds. In short, we are delighted with our decision . | What would you recommend to people who are
contemplating retirement in Switzerland? |
Certainly Switzerland offers any European a great deal by way of location, facility and culture. There is a lot to do and see and the
Swiss have maintained their historical good sense in their dealings with foreign nationals seeking residency by developing very fair
and trouble free taxation arrangements. I would, therefore, strongly recommend that they pursue their interest to at least securing full
details of these arrangements from some organisation like your own so that they will have both a quantitative as well as a qualitative
measure of their future within Switzerland should they decide to relocate. | What was it like to work with Micheloud & Co. ? |
We found that Micheloud and Cie and Francois, the principal, in particular fulfilled every one of their promises. They we extremely accurate about the procedures, the timings and the eventual tax bill that would be levied so we had a trouble free experience from start to finish. We have been so pleased with their service that we have provided them with a personal reference and would have
absolutely no hesitation in recommending them to anybody contemplating such a step.
This article has been published with the consent of our client who has reviewed and approved it before it was published. |