Chile Forum

A Chilean, named Juan sends a mail to another Chilean,Pedro living in the USA with the question : Why, we the CHILENOS are so poor?. ...

The response from the Chilean living in the United States (Pedro) goes something like this:

"Juan, how is it possible that the trees are not letting you see the forest.
How can you call the Chileans poor, when you can pay for a liter of gasoline more than three times what I pay here?
When you take the luxury of paying rates for electricity, telephone and cellular above 80% of what they cost to myself , here in the States.
You, guys pay commissions for banking services and credit cards that Triple what cost us here,and for that car, that cost me U$S20,000.00 here in the States , you can pay U$S 38.000.00, and give to the government U$S 18,000.00, we certainly can't Juan...

See, we are poor people in Florida.
Hence the State Government, taking into account our precarious financial situation only charge us 2% in IVA the other 4% goes to the Federal Government, so the total charged for IVA is 6% , not the 19% that you, rich people, can pay in Chile...

In addition, you have "Luxury Taxes "such as gasoline taxes and gas, alcohol, cigarettes, cigars, beer, Wine, etc.
Reaching up to 320% of original value, and others like: EARNINGS (tax on profits and salaries),Tax on new cars, PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES (Imposed on the assets of companies), taxes for the use of your car, and your so lucky or rich , that you can pay IVA over all those taxes...
And after paying all the formalities payments and State and Municipal taxes...

Juan, you are millionaires and don't know it... because : What sense would it make to have some taxes that caliber?

POOR...? From where ? How?..

A country that is capable of drawing TAX FOR PROFIT IN PERSONAL GAINS IN ADVANCE as CHILE does means that Necessarily have to swim in abundance, believing that the business of the nation and all its inhabitants always will profit despite looting and assaults, kickbacks, hurricanes, Tremors, corruption, looting and transantiago prosecutor, Railways, floods and of course Chileans always make it like bandits...

The poor like us who live in the USA, DO NOT pay Income Tax if we make less than $ 3000 dollars a month PER PERSON (more or less $ 1,500,000 .- Chilean pesos).
Meantime , you guys there, paid private guards at banks, condominiums, municipal, etc.., we are happy with our local police..
While you send your kids to a private school there , we send ours to public schools, look how poor we are here in the States that the public schools will lend books
anticipating that do not have what to buy....

Sometimes it amazes me the wealth of Chileans who ask for a loan, and are able to pay 38% annual interest,Minimum. While we here, only can afford 7.0 or 8.0%

That means YOU ARE WEALTHY!!!!

Since you are rich, you must have a car, so you can afford to pay between 8 Or 10% annual insurance, here I only pay around U$S 345 ayear.
For using that car of yours , you pay annually around $cl 80.000 or U$S160 in PERMISO DE CIRCULACION , meantime I pay only a sticker for U$S 15,00, no matter what car I drive...
This is because we are poor and this is the only way we can drive around and work...

Do the Math , Juan . Who is rich and who is poor?

Finally, more than 10% of the economically active population of CHILE DO NOT WORK.
Here, however, there are only 4% in the same situation.
Do not you agree that living without working is a luxury that only the wealthy can be given? ....

Come on brother, you are in CHILE because you are RICO (rich).
It is the poor like me who went to try their luck in other countries.

I am also told that the regional officials, provincial and municipal people are paid a big salary , not counting the kickbacks, bribes, etc..

What an envy!! That is live in LUXURY AND WEALTH!!!!

Well ,Juan, i send you a hug and later on tell me how it went with your budget.

There is going to be new municipal elections this year,so it is certain that they will raise more taxes
But you , don't have to worry about it . Inflation will dilute them....
Anyway, that's Not really that important when you have money to pay for them....


Sincerely,

Your friend, Pedro, the poor immigrant.



























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Hi Zulu. Possibly it's the rose-colored glasses I received when I arrived last year, but I feel as if I live in an entirely different Chile than your friends corresponding in the post. Of course, it might be geographical in nature too. My Chilean friends would write letters like this:

Rosa,

I hope you are good. I arrived in the US with the hope of the Promise of the American Dream. And, true to that promise, I got a job RIGHT AWAY! I work, not one, but THREE JOBS! They each pay $7 an hour, so that's like $14 an hour, right? Can you imagine how wonderful it is that I have three jobs? Dreams really do come true. I know that you are jealous, because you have just a small job there, and live with your family, while your mother and grandmother take care of your two small babies. And you only have one small job where you you have to take a bus to work. Here, I work my three jobs to pay for my apartment, and for DAYCARE for little Heliberto, and I've purchased a car because there is no bus service here. Imagine! I don't have to ride a bus anymore. I feel sorry for you Rosa, sitting on that bus to get back and forth to work while I drive my car to my three jobs. I miss spending time with my little Heliberto, and he misses me, and his Abuela, and Tia's. But he goes to a nice daycare six-days a week. He is learning so much! He wants a Tickle Me Elmo and a trip to Disney Land, and he demands a Playstation like all his other friends have. How wonderful that he is so immersed in this culture Rosa. Imagine...I had to go out to buy him Sponge Bob sheets and a comforter for his room (although it was hard because I only have Sunday off and since I have been sick for three weeks and don't have enough money to see a doctor I am exhausted). But I am happy! I am working to save to buy health insurance, but it's expensive and I am told that because I have asthma, I will be excluded. And none of my three jobs provide health insurance. Remember the inhaler I used to get at the famacia? I can't get it here unless I have a prescription, and to get one, I have to see a doctor, which will cost me more than a days' wages, then it costs three times as much there as in Chile. But, I'm happy, because I live here where I can work three jobs, and Heliberto can dream of Sponge Bob, and go to day care six days a week, and I can drive to work (when I have gas, otherwise I walk). I know you wanted to make me feel bad when you told me about the week you and Tia Leonora and Tio Ismael and the whole family spent a week in el campo, staying by a river, eating fish and fruit gathered from around the campsite. I miss that, but you don't know what I know. It's better to work jobs, and save money to go to Disney Land, and buy things, as much as you can buy. It's very important to have the latest things. To drive a car, to drive a better car (which I hope to have some day). It's important that Heliberto wears better clothes, that he has everything we never had as children. It is so important I can't tell you how much it's important. I'm sorry for how poor you are there Rosa, I really am. I hope you are happy for me, and I would like to write more, but I have to work an extra shift (that's a word for an extra job day) for my US family because the mother and father are working on Sunday and someone needs to care for their children. And I must drop Heliberto off to his babysitter so I can get to work on time.
Love,
Isolina