This is not a “goodbye UK” rant and it’s not a victory lap.

It’s simply an honest explanation of why, after a lot of thinking and a few hard experiences, I’ve decided that my long-term home will be the Cayman Islands.

I’m writing this for two reasons:

  • to clarify it for myself, in public,
  • and to make it clear that this decision is not about escaping responsibility, but about aligning responsibility with my values.

I’m Not Against Tax. I’m Against Misalignment.

I don’t have a problem with the idea of tax.

I understand the basic social contract: we pool resources so that:

  • people who are ill can get treatment,
  • older people can live with dignity,
  • children can be educated,
  • and essential services exist whether or not we personally use them every day.

That part makes sense to me. I want a society where vulnerable people are not left behind.

Where I’ve struggled more and more is with the gap between what I pay in and what I see the system doing with it.

Over time, I’ve watched:

  • NHS waiting times stay long and unpredictable,
  • dental check-ups move from every 6 months to every 12 months,
  • pensioners still struggling,
  • people with genuine medical needs fighting to be seen,
  • and at the same time, benefit structures and policies that appear to reward long-term non-work more than they support those who are genuinely in need.

I know there are many people on benefits who are in very difficult situations and absolutely need that support. My frustration is not with them.

My frustration is with systems and incentives that:

  • don’t clearly distinguish between “cannot work” and “choose not to work”,
  • stretch resources thin,
  • and then quietly reduce support in areas like healthcare, dentistry and pensions which affect almost everyone.

It leaves me with a feeling that I’m paying a lot into a machine whose outcomes I increasingly don’t recognise.

The Law as a System, Not a Safety Net

A recent experience with a formal legal process sharpened this feeling.

I won’t go into detail, but the pattern was simple:

  • I approached the system in good faith,
  • I tried to explain a situation that didn’t feel fair,
  • the decision-maker personally understood and agreed it was unfair,
  • and still, the rules were applied in a way that left no room for that fairness.

The law existed, but not as a protective framework I could access as an ordinary person. It existed as a set of technical conditions that required very precise wording and specialist skill to navigate.

On paper, everything was correct. In reality, it left me with the sense of two layers of law:

  • one that applies cleanly to public bodies and professionals who know the rules,
  • and another that quietly traps people who don’t speak the right procedural language.

This experience didn’t create my doubts about staying in the UK, but it crystallised them. It made me feel deeply that the systems around me are not built for people like me, even when I’m acting in good faith and trying to be reasonable.

What Attracts Me to the Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands represent, for me, a different type of contract.

It’s not “tax free paradise” in the cartoon sense. It’s a place where the deal is clearer:

  • You don’t pay income tax or capital gains tax.
  • You do pay directly (through prices, fees, insurance, etc.) for the services and infrastructure you use.
  • The state is smaller, and you accept more personal responsibility for how you organise your life.

That appeals to me because:

  1. The financial relationship is transparent. Money I earn and invest is not automatically fed into a large, complex redistribution system. I can see more clearly what I’m paying for.

  2. I take responsibility consciously. I pay for healthcare, housing, and services in a way that is very direct. If I want quality, I choose it and I pay for it.

  3. I am free to give on my own terms. Instead of my surplus being absorbed into a general tax pool, I can choose where it goes, when it goes, and in what form.

For my personality, this feels more honest. I prefer an explicit contract to an implicit one that I fundamentally disagree with.

I Still Believe in Giving Back

None of this means I want to hoard money and live in a bubble.

Quite the opposite.

I’ve thought a lot about what “giving back” looks like for me, and I’ve reached a simple conclusion:

I want my wealth, when I no longer need it, to go to medical research, specifically focused on spinal cord injury.

I don’t see tax and philanthropy as mutually exclusive. But I do feel that:

  • I can be more deliberate and targeted in my giving,
  • I can choose institutions whose work I understand and respect,
  • and I can support areas that are often underfunded or slow to receive attention.

Moving to the Cayman Islands doesn’t change that intention. If anything, it gives me more control to plan it properly.

I am happy to pay for what I use in my lifetime. And I am willing, after my lifetime, for everything I’ve accumulated to go back into something that has a chance of reducing suffering in a very concrete way.

That is the version of social responsibility that makes sense to me.

This Is Not About Superiority

I want to be clear about what I’m not saying.

I am not saying:

  • “People who stay in the UK are foolish.”
  • “I am above contributing to a common system.”
  • “Everyone on welfare is gaming the system.”
  • “I deserve special treatment.”

I am saying:

  • I no longer trust the way my contributions are used here,
  • I don’t feel protected or well-served by the systems my taxes fund,
  • and I have an option to live somewhere that fits my values better.

Many people will look at the same facts and reach a different conclusion. They will choose to stay, to campaign, to vote, to work for change from within. I respect that path.

My temperament is different. I work best when I can build my own structures and carry my own responsibility directly, instead of fighting a system I no longer believe I can influence meaningfully.

A Personal, Not Universal, Decision

I’m not writing this as advice. I’m not suggesting everyone should move to a low-tax jurisdiction. Most people can’t, and many wouldn’t want to.

What I am saying is:

  • It is okay to look at the country you live in,
  • look at how it treats you,
  • look at what it asks of you,
  • and quietly decide that the fit is no longer right.

I have had a good life in the UK. I am grateful for the education I received, the opportunities I’ve had, and the stability that allowed me to build what I’ve built.

At the same time, I don’t believe gratitude requires permanent residency.

For me, the Cayman Islands represent:

  • a clearer financial contract,
  • a way of living that matches how I think about responsibility,
  • and a base from which I can work, think, invest, and eventually give back in a way that feels aligned.

That is why I’ve decided to move. Not to run away from responsibility, but to take it on in a form I can stand behind with a clear mind and a clean conscience.