Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the complexities of life in Latin America, focusing on Nicaragua's political landscape, legal challenges, and cultural nuances. He begins by introducing the show, which covers life in Latin America, and addresses the topic of Nicaragua, particularly the ongoing canal project and its impact on land prices. He warns listeners that investing in land in Nicaragua could lead to financial loss due to the project's uncertain future. He then shifts to discussing the political situation in Nicaragua, focusing on Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist leader who has been in power for a long time. Johnny suggests that Ortega and his family have become corrupt, benefiting from tourism and capitalism, and that the government is not particularly friendly to expats. He also touches on the cultural aspects of Nicaragua, including the aging population and the perception of older individuals in the region.
Johnny Mueller then discusses the case of Zola America Nevarez, the adopted stepdaughter of Daniel Ortega, who alleges she was systematically raped and sexually abused by Ortega from the age of 11 until she was 22. The case could not proceed in Nicaraguan courts due to Ortega's immunity as a former president and the statute of limitations for sexual abuse charges. Zola took her case to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, which ruled the case admissible, though no international trial has been scheduled. Ortega's wife, the first lady, launched a campaign to persuade Zola to drop the charges, and Zola claims she was offered government jobs to keep her quiet. Zola also details the severe psychological and physical effects of the abuse, including migraines, depression, eating disorders, and sleepwalking, and mentions being blackmailed to keep the abuse a secret for the sake of the revolution.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses his personal experiences with blackmail and abuse, attributing his silence to the influence of his stepfather, who framed it as an act of love. He then shifts to a broader commentary on Latin American politics, suggesting that all presidents are essentially psychopaths, citing the book 'The Wisdom of Psychopaths' by Kevin Dutton. The book explores the psychopathic tendencies of U.S. presidents, with figures like Clinton and Kennedy ranking high on the scale. Johnny also comments on the corruption of Latin American leaders, using examples like Costa Rican president Jose Figueres, who returned to power after serving time in exile. He highlights the classist and racist backgrounds of many Latin American presidents, often from wealthy families who send their children to U.S. universities, and mentions a personal anecdote about a gringo roommate of a future Costa Rican president who later became a cabinet minister.
Johnny Mueller then discusses the theme of karma and justice, particularly in Latin America, using examples of former leaders who have evaded legal consequences. He highlights how powerful individuals often manipulate the legal system, either through political influence or by bribing officials, allowing them to avoid punishment. He also mentions how even when caught on video, these individuals often receive lenient sentences or fines that they can easily pay, allowing them to continue their corrupt practices.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the prevalence of political corruption in Latin America, using a specific example of a mayor who stole $120,000 but only paid $1,100 to avoid a two-year jail sentence. He contrasts this with the first world, where similar levels of corruption exist but are often on a much larger scale. Johnny argues that while corruption is rampant in Latin America, it doesn't significantly affect expats due to the relatively low tax burden and the ability to legally minimize tax payments. He also highlights the tax exemptions available to expats and how they can drastically reduce their tax obligations compared to the first world.
Johnny Mueller critiques the hypocrisy of criticizing corruption in Latin America while ignoring the more corrupt systems in the first world. He argues that expats often overpay taxes in Latin America due to a lack of understanding of how the system works, and that many expats eventually learn to navigate the system by employing legal loopholes. He also highlights the disparity in tax burdens between expats and local businesses, noting that local businesses often pay significantly less in taxes. Johnny emphasizes that while expats may feel compelled to follow the rules, they can and often do find ways to minimize their tax obligations, which is a common practice among local business owners.
Topics
The Expat Files podcast, Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, Land prices, Political corruption, Cultural aspects of Nicaragua, Zola America Nevarez's allegations against Daniel Ortega, Legal challenges in Nicaragua for sexual abuse cases, Zola's psychological and physical effects from the abuse, Ortega's wife's campaign to silence Zola, The role of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, Personal experiences with blackmail and abuse
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:46 The Canal Project and Land Prices in Nicaragua 00:01:38 Political Corruption and Daniel Ortega 00:05:53 Introduction to the Case and the Facts Presented 00:06:16 Zola's Allegations of Systematic Sexual Abuse 00:07:07 Legal Barriers in Nicaragua and the Role of the Inter-American Commission 00:10:01 Zola's Detailed Account of the Abuse and Its Effects 00:11:22 Zola's Experience of Being Blackmailed and Silenced 00:11:43 Psychopathy and U.S. Presidents 00:14:22 Corruption in Latin American Politics 00:15:32 Class and Race in Political Backgrounds 00:16:54 What Goes Around Comes Around is Wishful Thinking 00:17:05 The Case of the Ex-Guatemalan President 00:17:40 The Case of Former President Alphonse Portillo 00:20:01 The Pattern of Corruption and Impunity 00:20:36 The Mayor's Corruption Case 00:21:03 How Politics Works in Latin America 00:21:20 The First World's Corruption 00:24:59 Don't Get on Your High Horse About Corruption in Latin America 00:25:01 Your Tax Dollars Are Supporting an Infinitely More Corrupt System 00:25:08 40% of the Working Population Are Off the Books
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border, down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now I wonder Hello there all you expat wannabes I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started All right Now I want to mention something at the very beginning of the show here before I get sidetracked You know because I often do I've been meaning to mention this for a long long time And I thought I could fit it in on the last show when I was talking about Nicaragua Considered every first world retirement rags idea of the next Costa Rica
[00:51] So let me just add right now for all of you who think Nicaragua is the place to be especially in light of That so-called canal that's never going to go through. I've rambled on enough about that now I have even more startling news for you and believe me in the past year ever since the International press has picked up on that idea of that the canal might just go through land prices etcetera in Nicaragua are starting to Skyrocket so I say if you want to be sure of the fact that you're gonna lose money Just go down and buy land there right now because after it sinks into everyone's bloated head that that project is just not gonna get Finished your recently purchased land. It's gonna Just slip right back down to where it was a couple years back that is back to the normally dirt cheap prices before that Nicaragua canal idea even got off the ground anyway
[01:38] I want to touch on a very politically incorrect subject which I've been meaning to hit on for a long time Just never got around to it regarding Nicaragua now I get lots of emails from people saying well What about that familiar figure with a face only a mother could love Daniel Ortega a guy? Who's been in charge of that country for a very very long time now and you know way back in the Regan days when there was a civil war going on back in the 70s and 80s and he was head of the Sandinistas a self-professed Marxist communist How does that reconcile with the fact that he's head of a so-called democratic republic now? And of course expat gonna bees and wannabes want to know how is that gonna affect the living conditions down there? And the government's attitude towards gringos and gringos in business
[02:24] Well as I mentioned before Ortega and his extended family who run the political showdown there Having had their friends and family stacked in all levels of government They're all living like King Midas and his family thanks to gringo tourism and capitalism in general not to mention those wild Chinese spending sprees imagine the size of all those bribes and kickbacks as a Canal project to prove so as far as all you gringos thinking about going down there not to worry don't everything for a minute They're gonna flip and become the communists that they once were now in the case of politicians as you know Especially down here in Latin America. They're all basically a bunch of whores working the same side of the street Meaning here as in the States in the case of political philosophies
[03:13] It all depends on where the money's coming from But of course you knew that already right now at the risk of getting my own cajones whacked off with a machete next time I visit Nicaragua. Let me tell you about President Daniel Ortega's long-standing battle against Sexual abuse allegations coming from his own family now I call him allegations here, but if you go down to Nicaragua when you talk to anyone on the street They're not gonna want to talk about it However, once you get to know a few Latin families more than superficially And you get invited to a few quinceaños parties, etc And you sit down and talk to your new Nicaraguan friends, especially the old timers the crowd that's over 50 years old You open up that can of worms and you'll certainly get near full now when I say 50 and above our old timers remember in Latin
[04:00] America 50 is not the new 40 or 30 like it is up in the first world Down here in Latin America 50 is the new 60 because that 80% of Latin's who make 300 bucks a month Do not have an easy life. They work their asses off and sweat daily Especially in a country like Nicaragua. That's not in the Altiplano. It's a hot country So before I sidetrack too far remember down here 50 is old In fact, it's not unusual at all to see a 50 year old guy or gal with such leathery dry parched skin Such deep pitted furrows in their foreheads and brows You just know it's the sure sign of a lifetime of a sweaty hard work in the Sun That's why it's so hard to tell an older person's real age down here
[04:45] Now I know some gringles will come down here and say hey I can't believe how so many of these Latins look a lot younger than their years Which flies in the face of what I just said, right? But those are generally locals who spent a lifetime working indoors I've seen that myself But as for most of the population who scratch out a living in these really hot climates like in Nicaragua There's not a lot of relief from the heat except at night Anyway, like I said at the risk of getting my own cojones whacked with the machete Let me tell you about president Daniel Ortega's sexual abuse problems Which you'll easily be able to confirm once you've made some Nicaraguan friends in the 50 and overcrowd So again, all you guys and gals contemplating Nicaragua as your final destination
[05:31] Here's something you didn't know about your fearless leader He's a flaming perverted child abuser that keeps getting reelected by a totally mindless population And nope, those aren't my words, but they could be That was the general sentiment I heard from a bunch of Managua University College professors, the over 50 crowd that I met at a party So what's that mean? Well, here are the facts In 1998, Daniel Ortega's adopted stepdaughter Zola America Nevarez Try saying that three times after a couple tequilas Anyway, she released a 48 page report Describing how she had been systematically raped and sexually abused
[06:16] By her stepdad Daniel Ortega from 1979 when she was 11 until 1990 She says in this report that by the time she was 22 she'd been Sexually abused by her stepdad, the president, more than half of her life Now, of course, when she released this report Her mother and stepfather denied the allegations Now, remember, psychologists will always tell you that the perpetrator will be in denial about this So no surprise here Anyway, as usual, as to how things go in the courts in Latin America The case could not proceed in the Nicaraguan courts Because President Ortega had immunity to prosecution as president and a former member of parliament
[07:01] And the five-year statute of limitations for sexual abuse and rape charges Were judged to have been exceeded Now, in Nicaragua, independent journalists have said about that decision The entire political system is packed with the president's allies and appointees And they'll reject the charges or their own careers will suffer That's just how it works down here Wait a minute, come to think of it That's how it works up in the states too, huh? Now, for those of you who think this just might be a rebellious act of a girl who Possibly hated her stepdad, the president's stepdaughter, Narvaez, Didn't stop after the Nicaraguan courts threw the case out Instead, she took her case to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission
[07:46] A part of the Organization of American States with headquarters in Washington, D.C. Because she knew the only way she was going to get a fair hearing Was to take it out of Nicaragua where the president no longer had immunity And guess what, surprise, surprise They ruled the case as admissible But a date has not been set for an international trial Now, of course, everyone knows he'll never show up for that So he'll be tried in absentia Whenever that happens So then he might ask, where is Ortega's wife, the first lady in all this? The mother of this girl Well, it turns out Rosario Muirillo, the mother, Launched a highly publicized campaign to persuade her daughter To drop the charges against the president
[08:33] Now, she's a former Sandinista insurgent too And had reinvented herself as a poet and social philosopher of sorts To shed that gorilla image after she became first lady In other words, she hired handlers to give her a social makeover She actually jumped on the Hollywood spiritual trail by following this guru Remember him? Satya Sai Baba You might remember him as an Indian pop guru Who had some seven million disciples at one time Until he was totally discredited After being charged with multiple sexual abuse cases himself Oh, and by the way, Uganda's Idi Amin, remember him? That sterling example of Hitler-esque genocidal humanity Was one of his biggest followers too Nice company, huh?
[09:18] Anyway, for a while, the girl's mother, the first lady of Nicaragua Got her daughter to lighten up on the sexual abuse and rape charges In a press conference in Nicaragua And sources say that the girl, well, she's not a girl She's 45 years old now Was offered various high-level government jobs To keep her mouth shut Surprise, surprise, huh? And in a recent press statement The 40-something mother of three, Zola America, alleges that her stepfather, President Ortega Is behind a campaign to silence her that is so vindictive and tense That it amounts to a social and civic death for her and her three children That's how she phrases it Now, for those of you who like the gory details Here's what she said in a sworn statement Quote, verbal abuse, including almost nightly sexual propositions, went on until I was 21 years old
[10:09] And because of those years of abuse, I became a sickly young woman Prone to migraine so strong that I was once paralyzed for four days And had to drop out of university for a year and a half She says she suffered nightmares, depression, and sleepwalk And had daily sad visions and graphic replays of the years of sexual abuse Then she developed eating disorders that were unheard of except in the first world At first, eating everything in sight and then using laxatives, as she puts it, to cleanse her body And, she said, after she married and left the house, her new husband said he too had so admired Mr. Ortega as a political leader that it never occurred to him to unmask him That, after knowing the whole story himself, even though he would see his own wife dissolving into
[10:58] tears nightly and scratching her face with her nails every time she took one of President Ortega's frequent phone calls And finally, she's quoted as saying, I was constantly being warned that if I said anything to anyone about this abuse, I could jeopardize the revolution I was told that keeping this situation a secret was the way I contributed to the stability of the presidency I was blackmailed all the time and I assumed that my role was to suffer and just keep silent After all, my stepfather continuously told me it was an act of love Okay, so anyway, I just thought I'd give that to you Nicaraguan-bound expat wannabes and gonabes So you know what kind of president you'll be living under Do note that all presidents are basically psychopaths
[11:47] And if you think I'm just throwing out a weak generalization here You ought to pick up that best-selling book that's out there called The Wisdom of Psychopaths That's written by British university professor Kevin Dutton Who, he points out, lived all his young life with a psychopath His own father Anyway, he says in his book that there's a universal test that one can take To see where he or she lies on that scale from utter boring normalcy To icy cold nerves of steel psychopathy Now, as you probably know, cops and prison psychologists Know a great deal about this test They probably rank pretty high on it themselves Now, of course, you can go on the internet and take this test yourself But the thing is, you have to be completely honest when filling it out
[12:34] And the problem is, you know, psychopaths are expert liars Which is why they consistently pass polygraph exams And guess what? In one chapter in this book, the author says he or some researcher Sent this psychopath exam checklist to a large group of professional writers Whose claim to fame was that they wrote highly regarded biographies of United States presidents And each one of those writers was asked to complete the form On the president they wrote their biography about And as it turned out, nearly all US presidents had a number of disturbing psychopathic tendencies Surprise, surprise, huh? With a few of our most modern presidents ranking at the very top end of the scale
[13:20] And guess who the top two were? Nope, not Nixon or Ronald Reagan But Clinton and Kennedy With the two Roosevelt's trailing close behind Now, if you want to lose what little faith you have in Big Brother and the system You ought to pick up that book It's really interesting And who knows? After you're finished, you might decide there are countries to conquer And you're a psychopath too Or not And how did I score on that test? I'm not telling But I digress as usual So, what's gonna happen to President Ortega regarding those charges? Probably absolutely nothing I mean, let's face it All these Latin American presidents are totally corrupt Not that first world presidents aren't too But they're just much more conniving and less obvious in their corruption
[14:07] Like, for example, guys like Dick Cheney They just hide it much better And when he's dead, hopefully soon We'll find out the true extent of his dirty dealings and where all the bodies are buried Thing is, Latin American politicians are obviously corrupt from the get-go And everyone knows it And they not only maintain, even flaunt their ill-gotten riches Riding high in popularity and image throughout The fact is, they usually end up getting re-elected With their corrupt daughters and sons following in their footsteps too Now, doesn't that remind you of something? How about the Kennedys and the Bushes and the daily dynasties of Chicago? I guess once a politician always a scumbag, huh? But we were talking about Latin American scumbags now, weren't we?
[14:54] Take, for example, ex-Costa Rican president Jose Figueres That was in exile in Europe for seven years Because, well, the Costa Rican and international courts Were trying to nail him on corruption charges, etc Now he's back in Costa Rica as the conquering hero Strangely enough, after the statute of limitations has passed And now, guess what? He's thinking about running for president again And he'll probably win Now, I don't know if you remember But in a past show, I mentioned that I know a guy in Costa Rica, a gringo Who was his roommate at Harvard Because, you know, a huge majority of Latin presidents They come from these sickeningly classist and racist wealthy families Who nearly always end up sending their snotty entitled kids to universities in the US
[15:42] They're so rich that price is no object Now, do you know what it costs for a kid to go to Harvard Who is not a United States citizen? You're looking at at least a hundred grand a year Anyway, the father of this kid was once president of Costa Rica And he sent his kid to Harvard The kid later also becoming president of Costa Rica And I happened to be acquainted with his gringo roommate And, believe it or not, later on this gringo roommate Became a cabinet minister in Costa Rica Just by nature the fact that his roommate was the future president of Costa Rica Nice work if you can get it, huh? So, being the roommate of a future president He had some stories to tell And he told a bunch of my friends too Because I have witnesses
[16:28] He said that his foreign roommate was the go-to guy for Coke round campus And he wasn't talking about the cola either That said, I probably won't be visiting Costa Rica anytime soon either Lest I get my cajones lapped off by a local patriotic machete wielder But then again I'm well past reproductive age So certainly the world's gene pool won't suffer Oh, and yet here's another example why the phrase What goes around comes around is nothing but wishful thinking There's the case of the ex Guatemalan president Efren Riosmont who was convicted by an international tribunal Of genocide while president And has been sentenced to 60 years in prison But he'll never do a day of that time Because, well, he's in Guatemala
[17:14] And the court system there exonerated him Of course, he's the one that stacked the judicial deck there But, you know, if he ever gets on a plane and leaves Guatemala They'll nab him Now note, he's so popular in Guatemala That if he ran for president again He'd win too But he's just too damn old I think he's like 85 Now, if that's not enough to get you to ditch the idea of karma How about this one? There's former president Alphonse Portillo Who actually got extradited to New York Faced international money laundering charges Because he stole 200 million dollars And distributed to about 20 bank accounts throughout the first world And get this The his and his family member names Well, he did a seven-year prison term up in New York
[18:02] And this year he gets released And he's gonna go back home And the word is he's gonna run for president again It's all over the papers down here And guess what? He'll win Oh, and by the way The court system in Guatemala exonerated him too Before the international courts got a hold of him But as usual, in his home country courts He was exonerated Because as what always seems to happen When he was president He stacked the Supreme Court with his friends, cronies, and family members Which is why when tried in their home countries These guys almost never get nailed in court So 99% of the time You know how the verdict comes down? No, they're not officially declared not guilty Trials never seem to go the full term
[18:49] What happens is The case is almost always thrown out of court along the way For lack of evidence Or lack of witnesses Because you see in Latin America Nobody wants to be a witness against a powerful person Or powerful family in the country they live in Because you see if the guy goes down Because of your testimony And even if he doesn't You'll be on all his powerful friends and families Hit list dash shit list forever Which is why these big powerful pretentious Obviously corrupt ass wipes Never get nailed in court Not in their home countries anyway And on the slim chance they're found guilty They still somehow end up walking Now if you read the papers down here You'll see occasionally a political big wig
[19:35] When caught red handed on video Taking money in a corruption scam With that kind of evidence There has to be a guilty verdict 6 months, a year, 5 years, whatever Even so they still walk Because you see They're almost always given the option Of a fine or jail time And these guys since they've stolen so many millions Just dip in the petty cash drawer Pay the fine and its business as usual On and on it goes Oh and to prove that point Last Sunday I was reading a Honduras newspaper Out of San Pedro Sula The biggest city there On about the fifth page There was an article about a mayor Who was caught red handed on video Stealing $120,000 And having 25 or 30 phantom workers On the payroll
[20:21] Anyway when this guy got to court Remember he's a mayor now They gave him a two year jail sentence Or get this A buck fifty fine a day Which he could pay If he could come up with the money In lieu of jail time So he forked out about 1100 bucks Walked right out of court Across the street Right back to his job as a mayor So you get it? He got caught red handed Stole 120,000 bucks Which they never asked him to repay Let him pay 1100 dollars To buy his way out of a two year jail sentence And still they don't kick him out of office He remains the mayor And I'll bet he'll be elected next time around too So you see that's how politics works down here in Latin America
[21:06] And why everyone in his brother wants a job in government Now in hearing all this you might think Well why in the hell should I move down to Latin America With all that corruption Well what long term expats down here say is You only have to look to the first world And see that a mayor in a big city up there like Cleveland Doesn't steal 120,000 dollars That's chicken feed If you're gonna steal Steal millions Just remember up in the first world Presidents and presidential cabinets Walk out of office a hundred times richer Than when they came in Hmm how'd that happen? Yet no one goes to jail right? So it's true down here Political corruption is rampant In fact it's on steroids But the scale of the crimes are so minuscule Compared to what's happening up in the first world
[21:53] That well it almost never affects us Gringos and expats In fact most of us down here pay almost no income tax Compared to what you guys pay up north And corporate taxes Well that's kind of a joke down here too Ask any Latin And he'll tell you tax evasion is a national sport So the trick has always been In the first world and down here To report as little as you can get away with But only when you're down here in Latin America And in other places in the third world Do you realize you can almost zero out your tax bill Now like it or not up in the first world You're at least in a 50% tax bracket And I can prove that I'm not going to go through it all now So don't send me all kinds of emails But if you do I'll send you a nice report Showing you the hundred or so taxes
[22:39] And government fees you're paying already That prove without a doubt You're paying more than 50% of your income to the government Now you might know this already If you live down here in Latin America Or outside the US more than 330 days a year Even less under some circumstances You get a $100,800 earned income tax exemption This year for 2015 That means you can make $100,800 Without paying any state or federal taxes at all And if you play it right And your lawyer down here will know about this You can avoid paying FICA too Which is over 7% If you work for a company and 15% or so If self-employed But note if you do live in a foreign country
[23:24] And get that tax exemption You'll be under the tax system of the country you're living in And I can tell you right now I know of no permanent expat down here Who works for a living That pays more than 10% of his income To the government of the Latin country that he lives in And believe me that's even worse case And here I can't go into all the manipulations That make it work out that way But of course I do at my Expat Wisdom seminars So if you really want to skinny on how to do all of this You have to come down to one of my seminars Now if I do have another seminar It'll probably be in June or July 2015 If you're interested Send me an email at the expatfiles at gmail.com Or johnny at expatwisdom.com So I can put you on the list and start planning Or not
[24:10] So anyway like I said I know of no long-term expat Who pays more than 10% in country taxes In the Latin country he's living in So that means instantly When you come down here And you get a job Or you set up your own company or whatever You reduce your tax burden From 50% or more to 10% Usually much less than that So in the end It doesn't matter how many scumbag Latin politicians are skimming Or I should say gorging from the public trough When your contribution to that trough is 10% or less Who cares? Whereas up in the first world You're paying over 50% in taxes And you still don't get anything for it Well I take that back You get all the grief of the big brother state now don't you? And I take it you're okay with that
[24:55] Because you're still up there, right? So bottom line Don't get on your high horse about corruption in Latin America When your tax dollars are supporting an infinitely more corrupt system Oh and don't forget Down here in Latin America 40% of the working population are off the books So they pay no taxes at all And of course you can come down here and do that too Be completely off the books I know tons of expats who do it So then am I advocating for people to be off the government books? Well if your government's a failed state You might be inclined to do so Because people who run governments Are basically megalomaniacal sociopathic scumbag corrupt jerks And I mean that in the nicest way As for you expat goneabees and wannabees Do I advocate you being off the books? Well no but unlike the states
[25:42] You won't live in fear if you are But do note Nearly all expats who come down here Are so used to following the rules up in the states No matter how harsh they are They really would feel uncomfortable If they did not follow the Latin tax guidelines But know this Your lawyer if you have a good one Will quickly show you the right way to do things And the way things are normally done down here Big difference For expats it usually plays out like this For the first couple years You do play rigidly by the rules And little by little After acquiring a good bit of wisdom yourself About how the third world works Guided gently by a push or even a shove by your lawyer It's usually a given that you end up employing Some of the time-tested tricks that everyone else uses
[26:29] The end result being that you have a minuscule tax bill So remember Even if you play everything strictly by the book You'll probably never pay any more than 10% tax Better yet There are no state taxes And their version of FICA is usually no more than 2% So for example If you had a restaurant on the corner And at the end of the year You ended up paying 10% in personal taxes And let's say 10% in corporate taxes Chances are The Latin business guy across the street With just as big a piece of property And just as large a restaurant Is probably paying less than half Of what you're paying in taxes So eventually You and your lawyer and your accountant Are going to have to decide To pretty much overpay your taxes Like so many gringo expats do at first
[27:15] Or do what Latin business owners do Like the guy across the street Because remember Just like up in the states Every tax dollar you pay Either ends up being wasted Or in the hands of a corrupt politician What you want to contribute To that foul enterprise is your business You've been listening to The Expat Files Living in Latin America Coming to you twice a week From somewhere south of the border Email me Theexpatfiles at gmail.com And don't forget to check out expatwisdom.com To sign up for your free reports on Latin America See you next time Nos vemos