St George's Day

America has Independence Day; France has Bastille Day. What does England have? St George's Day!

Yes, folks, today is St George’s Day, also known as National Day, here in England. And yet, if you were to ask most people on the street, they wouldn't have a clue what it is. Maybe because it isn't officially recognized as a national holiday, as you'd expect a National Day to be. Everyone still has to go to work, so no one notices.

For starters, few even know who St George was. He was actually a Roman solider who protested against the Romans' torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. His emblem was the red cross on a white background, which was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. This is now the flag of England.

Many countries the world over celebrate their patron saint, someone who is called upon in times of great trouble to help save the country from its enemies. The Irish have St Patrick's Day, even though it's also celebrated here in England and in America too. The English decided in the 14th century to name St George as their patron saint and declared April 23rd as St George's Day. Several countries celebrate St George's Day on April 23rd, the day St George died in 303 A.D. St George is also known as the dragon-slaying patron of saint of England, even though it’s highly unlikely he ever fought a dragon or even visited England for that matter.

The traditional custom for celebrating St George’s Day is to wear a red rose (the national flower) on your lapel. But I've never seen that in all the time I've been here. More common is to just fly the St George’s flag. Of course most pubs celebrate St George's Day, but I think pubs celebrate most everything.

I’m still not sure why this also became known as National Day, since national days tend to mark a country’s nationhood and patriotism. The English don’t have a special day for that, so they use St George's Day as their National Day. Go figure. Maybe they should just scrap the whole thing and change it to Shakespeare's Day - since William Shakespeare, that much-loved and world-known English icon, was born on this day (April 23, 1564) and died on this day in 1616. Hmmm….a brilliant idea, if I say so myself!

Henry VIII - 500 years

Today marks 500 years since England's most notorious king, Henry VIII, took the throne at the age of 17. Fat Boy (as I prefer to call him) served as monarch from 1509 until his death in 1547. He was just 55. No official cause of death was ever identified, although rumor is he died from syphilis. Which would seem just after the way he treated other people, especially his poor six wives, two of whom he had beheaded.

I remember when I first visited Hampton Court, one of Fat Boy's many palaces, and commented to Paul that I couldn't understand why the English didn't do as the French and revolt against the monarchy and all their extravagant living at the expense of the taxpayers. This of course led into a huge debate (or rather Paul voicing his opinion) about all the good things the monarchy bring to the country. Paul kindly reminded me of our argument when George W was in office and asked, 'So tell me why don't the Americans stand up and revolt against this imperialism???' He has a point there.

Now I'm even reading scary opinions that are comparing Obama to Henry VIII and even Hitler. Frankly, being the liberal that I am, I think this is a bunch of hogwash.

US Tax Day (Apr 15th)

A week ago I wrote about the UK income tax system. What I didn't mention is that, as a US citizen, I'm still required to file a US tax return every April 15th! It's crazy. Fortunately, although we have to report our UK income, we are exempt from paying taxes if we earn less than $87,600 each (this amount rises each year). Somehow I don't think we ever need to worry about reaching that amount unless the exchange rate really goes haywire!

Here's the irony though. Thanks to the 2008 US Economic Stimulus Act, because we filed a tax return in 2007, we too were included in the tax rebates that good ole Uncle Sam sent out last year. We were dumbfounded to receive a check in the mail even though we never paid a dime out in taxes. And you wonder what's wrong with the US tax system?

Easter Holidays

It's Easter Monday and a national holiday here in the UK. So was Good Friday. A guaranteed 4-day weekend every year. I love it. Although I find it ironic that having come from America (where Christianity rules) that Good Friday and Easter Monday (of all days) aren't recognized holidays. Whereas they are here in the UK - where Christianity is a lot more subdued and just one of many religions being practiced. Makes you wonder. Especially given the fact that America was founded by pilgrims fleeing England in search of Christian freedom. Hmmmm...

UK Tax Year

The new UK tax year starts today. It always starts on April 6th each year and runs to April 5th the following year. I must admit...I much prefer the British way of paying income tax, called 'Pay As You Earn' or PAYE. As in America, your employer simply withholds taxes from your earnings. Deductions are based on your own personal tax allowances and exemptions. However, unlike US taxes, you do NOT have the freedom of withholding more or less than you're entitled to. Consequently, at the end of the tax year, you are not faced with a huge refund or payment. In fact, you do not even have to file a tax return! You simply receive a P60 form (like a W-2 form) from your employer which shows how much you earned and how much tax you paid. You only need to file a return if you're self employed or have a complicated tax situation. If your job or circumstances change, you simply report that back to the Inland Revenue so that your PAYE deductions can be amended. The tax you pay year-round is a true reflection of what you owe. Period. And for anyone who has ever had to file a US tax return, you will quickly appreciate the benefits of the UK system!