Thomas Vermeulen

Pretty much yes. Romania does have a 10% flat income tax. Employees also pay 25% in pension contributions and 10% health insurance. That's why their take-home pay on a €100k salary is nowhere near €90k. Having a low flat income tax rate and a significantly lower net salary can both be true at the same time.

@Thover3 @stats_feed So you are saying theyd have 10% tax and 32% soc sec :D sure... and sweden if you make 1mill sek you pay 55% tax and soc sec is 34%

Estimated annual take-home pay from a €100,000 gross salary: 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: €86,930 🇪🇪 Estonia: €74,400 🇨🇿 Czechia: €72,800 🇲🇹 Malta: €72,500 🇨🇭 Switzerland: €70,500 🇨🇾 Cyprus: €70,300 🇬🇧 UK: €69,900 🇸🇰 Slovakia: €67,855 🇳🇴 Norway: €66,900 🇭🇺 Hungary: €66,500 🇱🇻 Latvia: €66,200 🇪🇸 Spain: €64,200 🇮🇪 Ireland: €64,000 🇹🇷 Turkey: €63,200 🇫🇷 France: €63,000 🇫🇮 Finland: €62,200 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: €61,500 🇭🇷 Croatia: €61,000 🇱🇹 Lithuania: €60,500 🇳🇱 Netherlands: €60,500 🇵🇱 Poland: €60,225 🇷🇴 Romania: €58,500 🇩🇪 Germany: €57,900 🇵🇹 Portugal: €57,000 🇮🇹 Italy: €56,700 🇬🇷 Greece: €56,615 🇸🇮 Slovenia: €55,060 🇦🇹 Austria: €54,200 🇸🇪 Sweden: €52,000 🇩🇰 Denmark: €51,500 🇧🇪 Belgium: €50,750 Source: Euronews/OECD 2025-2026 tax data for single person, no kids

@AriLaakso3 @stats_feed Seems it accounts for personal income tax + social security which is uncapped in Romania

@stats_feed Romania has a flat tax of 10%. Where do you guess your stats from?

@FinanceFilosoof 10 jaar in juli. Liever een goed verhaal over mislukkingen en getrokken lessen dan eeuwige 'what if's'

Volgende maand gaat het 5 jaar geleden zijn dat ik ben geëmigreerd uit België. Een van de belangrijkste lessen die ik heb geleerd over emigreren: Comfort is de grootste rem op groei. 
Weggaan uit je vertrouwde omgeving dwingt je om dingen te doen die onwennig voelen. Een nieuw sociaal leven opbouwen, kijken hoe je financieel gaat overleven… Maar die onzekerheid zorgt dat je plots dingen gaat doen die je nooit voor mogelijk hebt gehouden. En dat je dingen kunt bouwen die je nooit in een stabiele omgeving in België zou bouwen. Dat momentum gebruiken verandert je leven. Je moet dit momentum echter snel gebruiken, want het blijft niet. In België ben je bewust of onbewust het grootste deel van je leven bezig om een duur huis te kunnen kopen (25 jaar lenen), hoge belastingen te betalen en je gezin te laten overleven… Maar wat als die belastingen elders lagen liggen, de huizenprijzen een kwart zijn van in België en je levensonderhoud fors goedkoper is? Dan kan je het financieel al relatief snel rustiger aandoen na een paar jaar ondernemen. Niets mis mee, maar dan geraak je al snel weer in een gouden kooi. Verkwansel dat momentum niet als je nu grote plannen hebt. Beter om deze plannen in het begin van je reis te doen dan na een paar jaar. Emigreren is niet makkelijk. Maar aan jongeren die hier vaak over nadenken en twijfelen zeg ik vandaag: probeer het voor een paar weken of maanden. Het ergste wat vaak zal gebeuren is dat je terugkomt met een goed verhaal. En dat verhaal is het waard om geschreven te worden.

@BenjiNaesen Almost certainly for city marketing. That 200m further gave them the money shot with Nevsky cathedral and the parliament. They obviously knew the risks.

Paul Magnier takes his second stage win! 💥 #GirodIItalia Credits to the race organisers for having 8 KMs of straight roads, and then deciding to put a bend at 200 meters to go, to sprint on city cobbles. Nobody crashed, but that doesn't mean it wasn't stupid. 🤷

Yes, don't want to do fear mongering. Although with drones comes debris and missing targets. Some will refresh the news. Others will hit the beach. People have to do their own risk assessment. If you have to go to school tomorrow or work, you don't just take a flight anywhere. And 100 other reasons

"Healey stated the UK is "pretty sure" these missiles were not deliberately targeted at the British sovereign bases (Akrotiri and Dhekelia), describing them instead as an example of Iran's "indiscriminate" and "lashing out" retaliation across the region. British forces in Cyprus (RAF assets like F-35s and Typhoons) remain on high alert and are continuing defensive missions only — no offensive involvement from the UK. Broader context: Escalation is rapid (Israel launched more strikes on Iran today; Trump warned of massive response if Iran hits harder), so risks could shift quickly (e.g., if UK bases engage more actively or Iran broadens targets). Should you leave early? Not an urgent need based on current info — no imminent danger to Limassol or the south. But the missile incident raises the perceived risk level (even if intercepted and not targeted), and flight options could tighten if escalation widens or more airspace closes. The conflict is highly volatile with Khamenei's death adding uncertainty — things could de-escalate with diplomacy or worsen fast. Stay tuned to official sources over social media hype. If your plans change or you need help checking specific flights/alerts, let me know! Stay safe. The recent Iranian missile firings (intercepted, not targeted per UK statements) were directed toward the British bases (Akrotiri specifically mentioned in reports), so the perceived risk is concentrated there — not in civilian Limassol proper. The two Iranian missiles were described by UK officials as not deliberately targeted at the British bases — they fell into the sea or were intercepted, with no impacts on land, no casualties, and no damage anywhere in Cyprus (including civilian areas). If escalation happens (e.g., more missiles or UK response), things could change fast — but right now, it's stable with only defensive postures at the bases."

For the foreseeable future, I will probably keep my main base in Switzerland 🇨🇭 Yesterday's attacks in the Middle-East show the kind of world and era we're livin in. In a word: volatile. Switzerland is not perfect, despite what you might read online from people worshiping it. BTW, here's why they do it: - They're working migrants sucking to their 6 figure corporate job - They don't want to "spit where they eat" - Ego boosts from associating themselves with something "top-tier" - They don't know the country well and idolize it CH is not perfect, but it does some things well. Me and my business are already based in CH, and my life is, currently, already set-up with CH as a base. Cost of keeping it as a base is not very high, for me - both financially and personally: - High cost of living only impacts the months I'm there - Spending enough time abroad, low taxes and good pension ROI partially make up for the cost of living - Admin and bureaucracy are streamlined and stable (time and peace of mind gains) - I have a decent inexpensive flat taken few years back which gets the job done for what I need - I often travel within Europe and Zurich Airport/Train Station are conveniently located Given the above-mentioned volatility, being based there is an asset. So is having the chance to get a Swiss citizenship in a few years. There's places "I like more". Warsaw is a fenomenal city. Limassol is turning out to be a great option too. But after spending enough time abroad, I don't mind going back for a few months of "normal life" in CH: just working, watching a movie, going out every now and then, nature (big one), and so on. I'm not planning to have kids in next 3+ years. And, even after they're born, there's still 4-6 years from entering school and tying you to 9+ months in CH. So there's no imminent "threat" to my flexible and convenient CH-base setup.

I considered it, but didn't pick Dubai, Tblisi, Cyprus or Taiwan as base, partly because of geopolitics. Bulgaria is NATO, but has Romania between Bulgaria and Ukraine. That's already close enough for me. Some bases in South America are 'better' in that regard, but as you know all come with pros and cons. Many risks are overweighed. Statistically, in most of the world you're more likely to be killed in a road crash or ordinary crime than by any conflict spillover reaching a random apartment.

@nic_amadio Yep, geopolitics matter. As per the UK Defence Secretary 2 Iranian missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus. UK has bases there.

@TheMattBerman @openclaw @vishalojha_me @Meta ADS

I run my meta ads with @openclaw for $0/month 😱 here's the system that runs autonomously: step 1: daily health check → social-cli (major shoutout to @vishalojha_me) wraps @Meta's marketing API (token refresh, pagination, rate limits all handled) → am I on track? what's running? who's winning? who's bleeding? any fatigue? → the same 5 questions I asked Ads Manager every morning for 20 years step 2: catch dying ads before CPA spikes → @OpenClaw pulls daily frequency by ad → frequency > 3.5 = audience is cooked, CTR is about to drop → this one signal saves more money than any dashboard step 3: auto-pause bleeders + shift budget to winners → CPA > 2.5x target for 48hrs? auto-pause. no hesitation. → ranks every campaign by efficiency. recommends shifting spend. → last fri it paused an $87 CPA campaign at 3am and scaled my best performer 30% step 4: write new ad copy from your winners → agent analyzes what's working (hooks, angles, CTAs) → generates variations based on the patterns in YOUR top performers → copy modeled on what already converts in your account. step 5: upload ads directly to your account → new creative + copy → live in @Meta Ads Manager → no more downloading, formatting, clicking through the upload flow → agent handles the entire publish cycle step 6: content concepts + morning brief → spots patterns across winners and suggests what to test next → delivers everything to Telegram, Slack, wherever you want it → 90 seconds to read. reply "approved." done. input: your ad account + your target CPA output: an AI that monitors, kills, scales, writes, AND uploads your ads dozens of hours in ad manager → 1 text message I packaged the entire system as the Meta Ads Kit. 5 @OpenClaw skills: - meta-ads (daily checks + auto-pause) - ad-creative-monitor (fatigue detection) - budget-optimizer (efficiency scoring + shift recs) - ad-copy-generator (writes variations from your winners) - ad-upload (publishes creative directly to your account) giving it away free. comment ADS + like + follow (must follow so i can DM)

@JSiebens29749 @jonas_creteur Idd ook teveel bobslee maar enkel samenvattingen van Klaebo. Mss zijn die paketten te duur of exclusief 🤷‍♂️?

@jonas_creteur De Belgen meestal op Sporza gekeken. Maar vaak had Sporza de verkeerde keuze. Teveel kunstschaatsen savonds voor mij. Na 2 of 3 rijders heb ik het wel gezien . Te weinig live ijshockey of andere sporten zonder Belgen. Ik miste ook teveel biathlon en langlaufen.

Ik verzin dit niet: 👉 De veldrit in Oostmalle, waar NIETS meer op het spel stond, lokte zondagmiddag op Canvas (niet VRT1) 387.094 kijkers. 👉 De best bekeken uitzending van de Winterspelen op VRT1/Canvas? De korte kür in het kunstschaatsen. Aantal kijkers: 282.389. En ja, ik weet het, je moet tegenwoordig ook naar andere metrics/sociale media en dergelijke kijken, maar toch.

Nee voor die en ijshockey vond ik Sporza beter. Seppe Smits op halfpipe was ook top. Een replay van aerials of skimo of skicross is stuk minder. Wss ook 1) gemiddelde aandacht verdeeld over veel events 2) Veldrijden in het weekend staat bijna standaard aan zoals journaal om 19u 3) gewoon de realiteit. Die sporten zijn in Vlaanderen minder popular of worden quasi niet beoefend. Ook ok

@Thover3 Ook Swings, Desmet, Meylemans?

@hispanicnomad @Christi42362104 @Screechweasel1 Taxi prices in Sofia increased by 20% in Dec. That's unrelated to euro. The list goes on: geopolitics, energy, food supply. People don't fully realize this and link this to what they recall easiest: 'euro'. But yes, things got more expensive

@hispanicnomad @Christi42362104 @Screechweasel1 They're exaggerating. The euro was already pegged to leva. Prices have been increasing up post COVID due to inflation etc. You do have 'scammers'. Bread been rounded up by 30%. Parking fees from 1 lev to 1 euro. That's not the euro. That's people waiting for an occasion to scam

If Eastern European countries were honest about their economies 👇 🇵🇱 Poland: "We're the Germany of the East and we're tired of being compared to Germany" 🇨🇿 Czechia: "Beer is cheaper than water and our economy somehow works" 🇷🇴 Romania: "Tech hub with third-world roads" 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: "Cheapest EU country and we plan to stay that way" 🇭🇺 Hungary: "Orbán did... something... economy is weird but functional" 🇪🇪 Estonia: "We're basically Scandinavia but nobody notices" 🇱🇻 Latvia: "We exist between Estonia and Lithuania" 🇱🇹 Lithuania: "Better than Latvia" 🇸🇮 Slovenia: "We're rich, tiny, and nobody knows we exist" 🇭🇷 Croatia: "Tourism is 25% of GDP, pray the tourists keep coming" Spent 3 months in the Black Sea coast 🇧🇬 Bulgaria. $300/month rent in a city with better internet than 🇪🇸 Madrid Infrastructure is chaos but the arbitrage is real

Zucht. Ook niet op vakantie in Spanje met jouw gebroken been langskomen... Genre, "je bent vrij in wat je doet tot het mij niet instaat". Jaloezie of niet enfin. Veel wordt geregeld via EHIC en de betreffende EU lidstaat. De rest kan via privéverzekering of door volle pot betalen. Stefan woont in Bulgarije. Via Superdoc heb je daar direct online een afspraak bij een specialist. Geen 6 maanden wachttijd op dermatoloog. Ook oude sovjetklinieken, maar ook top privé klinieken vergelijkbaar met de top in Londen. België heeft ook zijn toppers. Oh wé als je online shopt buiten Belgie of net over de grens dus mag dit voor gezondheid ook. Of je rijdt de Franse wegen kapot door péage te omzeilen. Los van overheidsbijdrage enz. Bon, ik kan doorgaan en nog wat bias toevoegen. Laat ons focussen op hoe we de EU aantrekkelijk maken, ondernemerschap aanmoedigen en waar voor ons belastingsgeld krijgen.

En voor een operatie, een lange kankerbehandeling, of een bevalling niet naar België terugkomen hé Stefan.

@ToppingOlly @lawrencekingyo Lack of branding and the perception of Russian influence, being its neighbour, ease for social life, cold winter. It's for the advanced nomad. The crypto, entrepreneurs that care about margin etc. Top hiking, wine, nature and history though

@lawrencekingyo I am here right now. Safe. (Guess why) Cheap. Clean. Friendly people. Good restaurant/bar/club scene. Cool history. No idea why is doesn't get more attentio as a nomad hub.

Georgia 1% income Tax Set up a bank account in 24 hours Highly based country

I love Spanish food. Not endless variation, big fans of the simple food and pintxos. Lots of fresh ingredients & pork. Lots of olive oil, few sauces. Most Belgian food is french cuisine blended with German comfort food. Not flashy, but solid. Country of compromises 😁 I don't rate fries as our best dish. Try beef stew in beer, rabbit in gueuze, waterzooi, vol-au-vent

Countries by "How Good Is the Food Actually?" 👇 WORLD CLASS: 🇮🇹 Italy: No explanation needed 🇪🇸 Spain: Tapas culture is unmatched, some of our dishes are just SO good 🇫🇷 French: Some of the best food I've ever eaten was French 🇬🇷 Greece: Simple but perfect REALLY GOOD: 🇻🇳 Vietnam: Pho alone makes it worth visiting 🇵🇱 Poland: Pierogi are underrated 🇦🇷 Argentina: Beef quality is insane, apparently their gelatos are too GOOD BUT YOU GET TIRED AFTER A BIT 🇵🇾 Paraguay: Asado is fantastic, rest is... functional 🇬🇪 Georgia: Khachapuri & Khinkhali are great, variety is limited 🇨🇿 Czechia: Love goulash but that's about it 🇲🇽 Mexico: Not bad but I'd love more variety 🇹🇭 Thailand: One can only eat rice & noodles so many times before going crazy 🇵🇪 Peru: Love ceviche, can't say much else 🇯🇵 Japan: Sushi is pretty nice but honestly that's about it NOT GOOD TIER 🇬🇧 UK: You know 🇧🇪 Belgium: If fries are your best dish, you know you have some issues

@ChrisCordoba15 @recouso @andyzhou This. I felt much colder in Spain, Greece, Lebanon, Jordan etc in winter than Bulgaria or Sweden. Mediterranean houses tend to lack proper insulation and be poorly heated on temporary gas heaters or expensive electrical heaters.

@recouso @andyzhou The houses in southern europe are also terribly insulated for winter. I was more comfortable in Canada indoors than in southern spain during winter.

🇵🇹 Why I'm leaving Portugal after 3 years: - Invaded by illegal immigrants - No ambitious young people - Infrastructure falling apart - Nobody wants to work - Too cold in the winter - Not cheap anymore - Streets are dirty - Unstable electric grid and water supply I want warm weather, great infrastructure, safe and clean streets, low taxes, and ambitious youngsters. It's a utopia, of course, but I think I found the place that ticks the most boxes.

@FinanceFilosoof Qua olieprijs ja. Kan ook zijn dat VS zegt: "We get the Western hemisphere, you do whatever you want in the Eastern hemisphere". "Life is a big deal" om hen te quoten

De arrestatie van de Venezolaanse president Maduro is een van de beste geschenken die Oekraïne kan krijgen. VS zal alles eraan doen om de olieproductie te verhogen, de olieprijs zal dalen waarbij Rusland nog minder inkomsten zal krijgen. En trouwens ook Iran. Geen fait divers.

@prasann_pandya What would be different from other co-living projects? Some top, many failed, too expensive or not profitable. For me the co-living needs to be inspiring enough so you push each other, but also 'boring' enough or have secluded spaces to lock in. Asados are bad for focus ;)

Curious, if I figure out a way to setup colivings around the world, live in beautiful places, good wifi, community of like minded people around, who would be interested? Price will be $1k-2k per month. Latin America, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, too many places. Been living this life full time for 2 years now, it's the ultimate hack to living fully.

@prasann_pandya Freedom to work whenever you want on whatever you want while improving people's lives. The line between imposter syndrome & creativity surging is so thin. 😁 Not for the faint hearted, but the alternative is 'dull'. All here for it!

Every night I sleep thinking wtf am I doing, every morning I wake up feeling like I have the best life in the world. Everything in my life is unstable: - No solid home, no accelerator, no community, no cofounders, no team, no investors, no rich family backing, no accountability. It's just me & my laptop and stupidly strong will. I could easily settle for a job, for being a founding engineer somewhere, or do a "fundable" startup, make SF my home again, have community, have a home, have common group of friends, but I know my heart wants to create something different. Just taking it a month at a time. Let's see where life leads me.