2011-11-16, 09:24
Sea Captain: sailors are also emigrating
It is not good to live in the Republic of Lithuania, because its people are leaving. The emigration is also felt by sailors.
Lose substantial income
I know dozens of sailors who left Lithuania for other EU countries. Sailors are constantly talking about emigration. Some of them, who have not already left Lithuania, are planning to do so in the nearest time. The Republic of Lithuania loses a substantial income from sailors, when they are leaving with their families. Normally, sailors spent eight months at the sea. Captain’s income makes up 45 thousand euro (155 thousand litas) per year. Sailors and their families could pay taxes for goods and services worth of 32 thousand litas per year. We can only imagine what kind of losses is brought by the politics conducted by the parties in power, when Lithuanian people are driven to emigrate.
Discrimination of sailors
In most of EU countries, sailors are paying their taxes. However, they have a resident status, allowing them not to pay taxes if they are not using country’s infrastructure for 183 days. During the time of absence, one is allowed not to pay taxes. This does not exist in Lithuania. Such a project was initiated but vetoed by the President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite. It was motivated on the grounds that in order to get reduction in taxes sailors need to spend more than 183 days in the sea. Completely different conditions are applied for those sailors who spent 183 days or less in the sea. Herein lays the answer why Lithuanian sailors are emigrating. Sailors which are working for the ships of third world countries have better tax conditions.
Such a law of taxing sailors by 15 per cent came into being in 2008, during the so called “nightly sessions” in Lithuanian Seimas and was not adjusted with sailors themselves. This law discriminates sailors. The ones working in EU and Lithuanian economic space ships do not have to pay such a fee, while the ones working on the ships of third world countries are obliged to pay such a fee.
Why pay taxes?
Most of the Lithuanian sailors are working in the ships of third world countries. There is a group of initiative sailors, who work in the ships of third world countries. Such sailors usually sail in the ships with Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Panama or Saint Vincent flags. These are so-called flags of “comfortable countries”. I work for a third world country ship, which has its sea administration in Germany, Oldenburg. Most of such countries and their ships have their administrations in Europe. The salaries of sea captains and senior mechanics are about 5-6 thousand euro per month, while sailors, motorists and chefs can earn 1-2 thousand euro per month. It is not hard to calculate that without the law of 183 days, a sea captain or senior mechanic loses 4,5-5,4 thousand euro of taxes per year; sailors, motorist and chefs – from 900 to 1,8 thousand euro. Why pay taxes for sailors who work in the ships, do not use the country’s infrastructure and are absent from the country?
