Before leaving home many feel that paying income tax is a burden but regard it as the norm, as everyone around you is in the same position. Once many become an ex-pat, then their outlook is diametrically opposed to what they previously thought - it is now normal not to pay income tax.
There will be a day when all of us will have to leave the Gulf and some may retire or some will continue to work. For those in the latter category, some sort of income tax is going to be inevitable for many. If you have been conditioned into thinking that not paying income tax is standard, then it is going to be very hard to swallow the pay cut in net salary.
In a wider context, the basic gross salary that we get paid by EK is shockingly low for a widebody operation. It's just that we benefit from a income tax free environment. Most pilots around the world have to pay some form of tax on their salary. We are in the minority here to live in a totally income tax free environment and not commute across a border to get to work, in order to enjoy such a perk.
You have to do what is right for you and your family. I am moving on from EK and not to Jet2, so I am not promoting them but just trying to provide a different perspective, as working in the Gulf can leave you with a slightly warped sense of reality.