Home is where the tax is

Writers have always been able to work anywhere; it's taken me a while to find the courage to move away from my clients and - more importantly - to acknowledge that I am actually a writer. And it's taken me years to fully accept that idea, going back to a dinner party a dozen years ago when the hostess introduced me to her friends with the unforgettable words: "This is my friend, Bob - he's a writer."

In truth, I've always thought of myself more as a communicator, and hence Tork & Grunt, and the books on two aspects of interpersonal communication, negotiations and presentations. Then, when I was asked to write children's books, I didn't hesitate, and I'm excited by my next project of personal-development books for the sub-teenage group, starting with one all about happiness. Mind you, corporate communication still fascinates me, and I am continuing my work on helping people to improve their presentation content and style with a much-needed book that will denounce much of what has been written about the effective use of PowerPoint.

What I've now decided - with the help of a very dear partner whose love of Italy is as intense as mine - is that I don't need to be in Tunbridge Wells, or anywhere near my clients, in order to put fingers to keyboard and create my work. And so, if it's not tempting fate to write it, we are in the throes of the excruciating process of acquiring a former farmhouse in the Marches, twixt Ancona and the Sybilline mountains, where 4-wheel drive and the arrival of broadband will ensure that we can operate just as effectively as in Britain.

With my clients all in the English-speaking world (well, their version of English, you know) I am still wondering where I will stand in terms of taxation. I am now officially on the Italian radar, with my Italian taxcode that enables me to open a bank account, but as a self-employed person I have no idea how the system will operate.
And to be honest, I'd rather not rush to find out. It's more than enough of a complication to follow the Italian property purchasing system, and worry about important considerations like whether the removals van will make it down and up the gravel track.

In our global society, with e-bay and money that moves at the touch of a PIN code in a hole in the wall, I wonder how the establishment will keep tags on everyone in years to come.

Meanwhile, I far too busy wondering where I'll put the herb garden, and longing to try out the wood-burning oven that's conveniently near where the patio and pergola will be.