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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: abuelita who wrote (21725)	8/29/2007 9:35:23 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 217862

Crises are about the human condition. It is a must to look beyond the surface. By the time you come out with a perspective different than the first impression is always too late already. There are no safe heavens. It is the people who are trying to find security in an insecure world. Once you discover that there's no security, people are much more able to deal with it and stop wasting time finding the safety of a heaven. The attraction is just too big. The big malls with low taxation, the cars are inexpensive. People end up paying their dues in accommodation. The government increased the price of gasoline. Now they put toll in the roads. Next they are thinking in putting up sales taxes, they say they will remove the import taxes and put in place VAT, but I think they are just putting one more tax. They came. They establish themselves and then once they are entrenched, government will come in to fleece them. I am an expat that work to make money to take away with me. If there’s no mall, or no entertainment or no facilities I don’t care. I want the cash coming in and keep it in.

To: abuelita who wrote (21725)	9/4/2007 6:25:44 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 217862

More than 2/3 of Dubai's population spending up to 1/2 their salaries on house rents and children's education, according to a cost-of-living survey released yesterday. That's why I was saying: I don;t like to work for the landlord!!! Housing eats away half of Dubai residents' income By a staff reporter 4 September 2007 DUBAI — More than two-thirds of Dubai's population are spending up to half their salaries on house rents and children's education, according to a cost-of-living survey released yesterday. The DSL Exhibitions survey of more than 400 Dubai residents earning more than Dh200,000 annually, analysed the increase in the cost of living to gauge the impact of the inflation on the growth of the property market and the quality of lifestyle. DSL Exhibitions Marketing Director Tessa Morris said the UAE has been witnessing rising prices across the board for the last three years, which had benefited the property market, but also meant dramatic impacts on expenses and lifestyle choices. Two-thirds of residents spent between one quarter and one half of their income on housing and most said this was an increase of up to one quarter over the last three years. Education costs had also skyrocketed with an increase of up to 50 per cent recorded for two-thirds of the population, while one in six people noted an increase of more than 50 per cent. Eight out of 10 residents said they spend between 10 to 20 per cent on groceries while transport costs had not seen significant increases. Morris said the survey found that the residents' income was predominantly taken up with essential costs, including housing, education, transport and groceries and cutbacks had been made on non-essential goods. “The city is showing signs of quickly moving into a mature growth phase and while cost-of-living issues present a complex problem for a number of residents at present — as is normal in periods of growth and change — Dubaiites are demonstrating remarkable resilience and confidence in the future of UAE's economy." Morris said despite the high living costs, residents still had confidence in the market and had a desire to invest in property. Eight out of 10 who had not bought property in Dubai said they wanted to invest less than Dh2 million if they buy. Three quarters said their purchases would be to live in rather than investments. Borrowings remained strong but the survey indicated the city ran the risk of becoming an increasingly indebted society because of banks aggressively selling loans. The majority (three quarters) of residents said they could only save less than 25 per cent of their income. However about two-thirds said they paid less than 10 per cent interest. Morris concluded that the survey showed that residents were optimistic about the UAE's economy and its sustainability and this would be demonstrated with continued investment in the property market.