You might not be familiar with Canggu, but this small village in Bali is well known to an international class of coworkers according to its number-one ranking on Nomad List. But could those living in this piece of coworking paradise leave a more positive impact on their host country?
Harry Guinness, himself a digital nomad, recently wrote about the influx of Westerners flooding the beachside village with their laptops, working for foreign clients while enjoying the spectacular nature and low cost of living.
While Indonesia offers a “KITAS” permit for foreigners working there, many digital nomads flout these local regulations by working on tourist visas instead. They’d rather declare taxes in their home country and use loopholes to extend their stay.
Digital nomads, of course, contribute to the economy through their coworking space memberships, rent payments, and leisure spending, but by dodging taxes they do not fully contribute to the country moving itself out of poverty. Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, and per capita earnings is just 4,330.00 USD.
While digital nomads have the freedom to work where they want and work towards a dream life, it begs the question of what responsibilities these people have towards their host country which makes it possible.
Read more about Mr. Guinness’ journey through the digital nomad mecca on his Medium blog post.