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Thursday, May 15, 2008, 15:38
The former British Army officer may have moved 12,000 miles to buy a vineyard in Marlborough in New Zealand's South Island, but he has named his wine Boreham Wood after his home town in Hertfordshire.
Peter, 58, and his wife Jane, a former midwife, named their sauvignon blanc after the town they left in 1979.
The wine, which won a silver medal in the International Wine Challenge held in London, has proved popular with New World drinkers and the Clarks hope for similar success in the UK.
'Now we're selling the wine in the fiercely competitive UK market from the other side of the world,' said Peter.
The Clarks are just two of the thousands of Britons who have left the UK to set up businesses abroad. About 5.5 million Brits live abroad permanently.
The Office for National Statistics estimates that in 2006, 68,000 people quit the UK for Australia, 21,000 headed for New Zealand, 26,000 for France, 30,000 for the United States and 35,000 for Spain.
Jose Morillo, director of investment at the Spanish Embassy, says he receives 1,500 inquiries a year about starting a business.
'The number of people looking to set up in Spain is increasing all the time,' he says.
David Sayers, tax partner at accountancy group Mazars, says: 'In the UK new businesses can start up in 24 hours. On the Continent it can take months.' He also advises emigrants to check the legal smallprint. 'Most western European countries carry a social security burden for an employer of up to 50 per cent of salary costs,' he says.
'And strict labour laws make it difficult to sack employees.' Tony Cohen, head of entrepreneurial business at accountancy firm Deloitte, advises: 'Check what the rates of tax are and the levels of indirect business taxes. A restrictive capital allowance regime can negate the advantages of a lower corporate tax rate.'
The wine is available from: Flagship Wines, St Albans, Herts Tel 01727 865309 Shop online at www.flagshipwines.co.uk or call 01727 841968.
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