Sean Connery was a proud Scotsman but he didn't live in Scotland nor did he pay taxes there. What do the Scottish people think about him?

When someone is rich and famous and decide to move abroad for tax reasons, yet still claim to love the land of their birth, many question the sincerity of these words and actions which do not co exist together. How can you be proud of your roots when you leave and never pay tax there again and even though you visit, it is not living but holidaying.

I moved to Guernsey decades ago for tax reasons, not mine, my lovers. He sold a restaurant complex and had enormous tax to pay so took up a legal - VERY LEGAL AT THE TIME - loophole in the law to avoid paying these taxes and by moving to Guernsey, which is not tax free but the highest tax is 20p in the £ and there is no VAT and no ----- the list goes on, and while we left, we always considered ourselves first and foremost - from the UK - Dorset and Bournemouth ... as for a start we could NEVER - EVER - be considered ' local' in Guernsey and always seen as ' outsiders' and many locals resent the Brits who use the Channel islands as tax havens while benefiting HUGELY from the multi billions it brings in each year to the island as tax havens.

You can't have your cake and eat it ... or so some would tell you.

John Bellamy

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Comments from the public below:

Listen, I’m a proud Scotsman, but as I look out the window just now at 10.41 in the morning, it’s dull, grey, raining, cold and I have the light on to read with.

Given half a chance I’d be off to stay on some nice warm distant shore and come back in the summers. h

I have lived and travelled in a great many countries, and wherever you go, you always encounter proud Scots who will tell you with a tear in their eye about how Scotland is the greatest nation on earth. And yet, somehow, they all took the decision to leave.

I don’t think the two are inconsistent. Sean Connery had a choice where to live in the world, and he preferred to live in the Bahamas playing golf when he was not making films. I can’t say that I criticise him for that choice. I don’t see why that would make him less proud of his homeland.

I also think the tax thing is a bit of a red herring. No expat Brit pays taxes in the UK if they live full time overseas.* Suggesting that Sean Connery should have mailed cheques back to account for the tax he would have paid if he had chosen to live in Scotland is borderline absurd.

Sean Connery, the iconic Scottish actor known for his role as James Bond, had a complicated relationship with Scotland. While he was indeed a proud Scotsman and often expressed his love for Scotland, his decision to live in the Bahamas for tax purposes drew criticism from some Scottish people.

Many Scots admired Connery for his contributions to film and his efforts to promote Scottish culture and nationalism. He supported various Scottish causes and was a vocal advocate for Scottish independence. His philanthropic efforts, including donations to charities and support for the arts in Scotland, also earned him respect.

However, some critics felt that his choice to avoid paying taxes in Scotland contradicted his public persona as a patriot. This duality led to mixed feelings among the Scottish populace. Overall, while he is celebrated as a cultural figure, opinions about his tax decisions reveal a more nuanced view of his legacy in Scotland.

Anyone who leaves Scotland for good is not a proud Scott. You have to live where you are born to be able to claim that.

I left Scotland for work decades ago and have travelled the world in the oil industry and am always considered the Scott on board. Every rig I have worked on has at least one Scott and believe me when EVERYONE on board knows there is a Scott, not just because we tend to be loud and obnoxious sometimes, but simply because of the rule that every ship / oil rig - on the ocean always has a Scott on board somethere.

Why do you think Captain Kirk on the Enterprise had a Scottish engineer - called of all things - Scotty.

So if you are unemployed in Scotland and do not pay tax - does that mean you have no right to call yourself a proud Scott ? Of course Sean Connery did more for Scottish tourism just by being himself and where the world knew him as a famous SCOTTISH actor. In all his films, even where he was suppose to be Italian, he always spoke with his own Scottish accent and never tried to adapt for the part he was playing. Maybe he was crap at accents and just never bothered so - was not that good an actor, or he simply refused and displayed his Scottish in this manner regardless of what the part was he was playing.

Do we complain about Shirley Bassey not being proud to be Welsh as she has lived in Switzerland for decades and avoided UK taxes ? No we do not. She even sings about Tiger Bay and her roots with great pride and no one says anything but when it comes to Scotland and Sean Connery, it is a very different story.

We hear of tax schemes that are quite legal but you need money in the first place and a couple of years ago when all these famous people in the UK were made to apologise for doing NOTHING illegal but invest in a scheme that saved them paying as much tax, ANY ONE OF US WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME if we had that much money. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US does not want to pay the government masses amounts of our hard earned money is we can legally avoid - and why these people were dragged over the coals and ' outed ' in public as avoiding tax and where they had to apologise, is outlandishly obnoxious - as we would ALL do the same if we had the dosh and they did nothing NOTHING illegal.

I met Sean Connery a many times working on Red October years ago. He was charming, absolutely charming and invited me for tea and all sorts as he missed the Scottish accent and heard mine on the set and made a bee line to check me out, which was an enormous thrill for me, and during the filming we spent many an evening reminiscing about home and the mountains and the rain and the kilt and we did share many a pleasant time .

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