Quote:
Originally Posted by coon74
Hello, I've got an impression that the poker expat community in Costa Rica is a lot bigger than the Panamanian one, is it correct? (The size doesn't matter much if there's at least one good grindhouse in Panama or wherever to visit at the daytime.)
Hi there, yes you are correct that we estimate the Costa Rica online poker community to be significantly larger than the one in Panama. The only difference with Costa Rica and Panama compared to Mexico for example (where players are concentrated mostly in Playa del Carmen or Rosarito), is that players are spread out throughout each. In Panama, players end up transiting through places like Panama City, Boquete and Coronado. In Costa Rica, they are primarily in Playas del Coco, Tamarindo, Jaco, and the Central Valley/Escazu/San Jose areas. There are also players living in smaller towns around the country. Most of our players want to be around at least a few other players so we always keep this in consideration when helping them choose where to live (city and actual rental property).
Quote:
Originally Posted by coon74
Do you think the tax factor is vital in choosing a destination? CR, Panama and Belize (as well as Nicaragua, Uruguay and Paraguay, for that matter) don't tax even residents on overseas income, while the other Latin countries like Mexico, Dominicana (after 3 years of residency) and Ecuador do (unless one can legally qualify as a retiree, but most of us are too young for that), though I've read that the enforcement is very lax in Mexico (just like in Russia so far, fingers crossed).
The tax question is a bit complicated because it depends on each country's regulation, the individual's citizenship status, where the money is earned, etc. We are not tax professionals but we do have accountants and CPAs in each country who provide this info to all our clients on a case by case basis. If you are
American, you should be filing taxes in the US regardless of where you live in the world. If you are from
Europe for instance, there are many countries that allow you to change your actual tax domicile, so you could move to a tax-free country when it comes to poker and register there compared to Spain, for example. This is a pretty widely known, open practice for players from many EU countries where taxes and rake are high. We've helped Spanish and French players move to Mexico/Costa Rica as well as Greek and Swedish players to UK or lower tax destinations like Malta as a few other examples. PM us and we can get more details on your specific situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coon74
But with respect to banking, I've read that CR is significantly worse than Panama. (Of particular interest is the capability of receiving transfers from one's own EEA account, preferably as a tourist too.)
Regarding banking, it depends what your definition of "worst" is. Overall, global legislation has made it more difficult over the years for foreigners (especially Americans) to open offshore accounts so you really have to know what you're doing, especially in Latin America. Hiring someone for help is highly beneficial to save significant time and money and make sure you're using a bank/branch that will serve your needs. In some Central American countries, it could take months of work to get an account opened. In others, the currency might not be a good fit for your needs or it could be virtually impossible to open an account without the right paperwork. Available services and fees vary widely by bank and country as well. You should be able to receive wire transfers regardless but whether you can send or receive remotely via online banking is another consideration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coon74
It's crucial because different Latin countries speak very different dialects of Spanish and I need to decide between them before I pick a native speaker as a teacher.
Regarding Spanish dialects, countries known to have more neutral or "pure" accents are Mexico, CR, Panama and Colombia, amongst others. On the other side of the spectrum, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela would have stronger accents. All are different from Spain but if you learn any of them you should be able to communicate with most people. The best way to learn a language is immersion in my opinion! I was able to learn enough Spanish to get by in just a couple months while living with a host family and going to language school full time back in 2002. Your level will increase over the years but if you want to make a lot of progress quickly, immersion is a good way to get to a basic level then build on that. I can communicate fine with people from Barcelona to Peru. Maybe it's akin to investing a lot of hours learning the basics of poker then improving your game over years/decades. There is always room to improve of course
^K