I assume Roger Clarke did not read my letter published a few weeks ago about healthcare and taxation for UK nationals living in Spain, otherwise he would not have repeated the inaccurate claim that UK pensioners are a burden on the Spanish Authorities.

Rather than leave your readers with a false picture please let me reiterate the real situation in Spain.

If you are not in receipt of a UK state pension you must either pay into the Spanish health system or have private healthcare. When you qualify for a state pension you can receive state healthcare.

This is free to the individual but under reciprocal agreement the cost is refunded to Spain by the UK government. The cost of treatment in Spain is usually cheaper than that provided by the NHS so there is an overall financial advantage for the UK taxpayer under these arrangements.

UK nationals legally resident in Spain must also become tax residents so all their worldwide income is subject to Spanish taxes.

The exceptions to this are the UK state pension, UK benefits and UK government pensions (police, civil service etc). However those whose only income falls into this category are still subject to local taxes which contribute to the local infrastructure etc, as well as spending their money within the local economy.

Rather than being a burden on Spain, the Spanish government recognise the economic and social contribution the majority of (legal) UK migrants make. So much so that they have already passed a Royal Decree to support the continuation of these arrangements post Brexit. The UK has yet to confirm their position.

Perhaps Mr Clarke should have confirmed what really happens before making his totally unnecessary and false generalisation about ‘thoughtless and selfish’ Remainers. On the other hand perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised.

Ex resident living in Spain