Couldn't agree more, June - it's almost an impossibility to fathom the various forms, entitlements, registrations to work from home. I've probably destroyed half a forest by myself trying to keep copies of anything and everything 'just in case'. That's why it can be so useful to spot a thread like this because I'm still so unaware of procedures and formalities, this is of immense help to me.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and hopefully you'll be reporting back with good news!
Thank you Simon. I believe I may fall under the criteria you mentioned. I am extremely grateful for your advice and the help from others on this forum. I will keep you posted on my, hopeful, progress. Thanks again. June.
I agree Valerie. To get back to the point: I am almost 65 and, thanks to this forum, will be trying to reduce my Tax Fonciere. I will post the results of my, hopeful, success or failure on this site. Hopefully, you may do the same. It is so difficult to know what we are/are not entitled to here in France. Good Luck.
I read that it's people over 60 on a pension or a low income who might be eligible. I need to look into this myself. These local taxes are a killer aren't they? I have also heard that you have to go to the local impots office to apply - nightmare! In Bourg d'Oisans they are absolutely horrible.
Dear Tony Craig, Thank you so much for your reply. FYI I will be 65 next month. I am already exempted from the Taxes d'Habitation which happened automatically. It is very useful to know though that I could be enitiled to qualify for complimentary medicine un the CPAM (I will enquire about this) and a reduction in the electricity bills.
I am very grateful to people such as yourself who take the trouble to answer questions such as this. Kind regards, June.
Thank you so much for that information. I will be 65 next month and my income is low so I am not liable for Tax d'Hibitation. I think, therefore, that I am probably entitled to, at least, a reduction. I really value your advice. Thank you again.
Thank you so much Tony for your informative reply. I am 65 next month and have already paid my Tax Foncieres and am exempt already from Tax d'habitation. I must look into the CPAM complementary medicine situation. Your reply is very useful and I have to disagree with the people who say, if we are not happy we should go back home. This is my home now. I have lived here for 10 years. I worked in UK for over 40 years and paid tax, nat insurance etc. etc. UK and France have reciprocal agreements and I do not see it as being disloyal to France to enquire as to which benefits we are entitled. I think some people have too much money and too little empathy with those whose incomes have been drastically reduced by the value of the euro etc. Again, thank you for your help. I agree with you in that I actually see where my contribution is being used. We have a clean town, rubbish collected 3 times per week and a beautiful lake which is tended daily.
:)
lucky you! both of ours went up...anyone else lucky enough to have their Fonciere go down?
OK, whatever, ours went down anyway, so no problem (this year).
I was on a train going from Paris to Lausanne a few days after Hollande won (2nd class) and a crowd (4) of douanes came down the train looking carefully at everybody and picked on me of course! It was rather like one of the old B and W films; however I missed out on the beautiful countess. I was grilled on where I came from, where was I going, why was I going, how many days would I be in Suisse etc. They asked me how much cash I had on me and when I truthfully said 89 euros they decided that after all I was not rushing over the border to top up the bank account I don't have there! They were obviously expecting an army of plutocrats fleeing the Terror. Don't do what a Brit did in the 70s and stuffed his car tyres with cash only to have a blow out 10 miles into France, hit a tree and killed him. Brian I was in Leningrad and Moscow in 62 and I never saw so many miserable people apart from Oldham on a wet Thursday night. However I do have this theory that Russians actually prefer to be downtrodden. The money obtained from most taxation is cheerfully wasted on useless over running projects and more importantly the vast salaries, expenses and pensions that go with large states. Have you seen the kitsch palace that Poutine is building for himself on the Black Sea? It's almost as bad as the one the infamous Nicholas van Hoogstraten did in Sussex.
By the way one nice thing about this site is that you can digress, as it were in a conversation in a bar over a nice glass of something!
On Taxe Fonciere both my properties are in the same village and I get just the one form.
ok....just one tiny teeny observation....I dont want any state to 'look after' me. I dont want big brother involved with me...I want to earn...and make my own choices, my own life...thats what I dont like about communism now.....everyone lumped together. Now...where was that Tax Fonciere form? as outrageously rich people...we have two properties in France...so two Fonciere demands...excellent!
Two of the best countries I have visited and in the latter case worked in, Cuba and Viet Nam, have faults and are knocked but they are freer that the US dominated media will allow us to believe. I would happily live in either country. They have made socialism work. Sure, they are not perfect either, but people are largely happy and well looked after by the state. China makes me vo*it, hypocritical and totally disengaged with its own people, the Soviet Union was never anything after the Revolution because Lenin eradicated all real socialists. But OK, let's leave it there and answer Brian's question.
Sorry Brian Langston....David, Brian (Milne) and Carol...will be sitting in the naughty corner for the remainder of the evening.
Brian its never worked...communism is a nice idea...and thats the way it works...on paper. Ask the Chinese, the Russians...communist regimes always have wealthy government officials...who cream off the top.....the rest of the population work their butts off for the pleasure of it....for the idealism...I grew out of that a long time ago. I now believe that everyone who works, who can work, is entitled to a good living. Those that cant work...and I state 'cant' not 'wont' or 'dont' should be looked after and live a good life with a good income....thats the mark of a civilised society. But I believe those that have acumen in business should be allowed to achieve and earn and in doing so, benefit the country and their countrymen. I dont think that if you are a gifted and can make businesses profitable you should be penalised.
State capitalism David, a system that highjacked the word 'socialism' and works for almost every party whatever their differences are supposed to be. Try Cameron and Clegg as ideologically different and it is merely splitting hairs.
Apart from teaching Brian Langston political theory, in which he may not be interested, is this not turning into knock the French again? The Germans have a saying; 'Andere Länder, andere Sitten' and that is more the point.
Carole, no, no, no. Not communist. You were a member in your younger days and yet you are forgetting the REAL ideology. Say Stalinist and I'll go along with you. But communal anything, never.
absolutely hear hear David!!!! as I say, France could be the nation that all others bow to in terms of wealth creation and quality of life....instead it has become state heavy....the politicians here earn twice what UK politicians do, they have huge tax breaks and the biggest expense account known to man...with no need to prove any expenditure! until the French wake up and smell the coffee and sack these MPs and governments the way they did their royalty.....the country will stagnate....and eventually grind to a halt. Has anyone else read the latest on the French economy? if you thought the UK was bad...check out France...and they dont have the advantages of high employment, good wages and plenty of businesses to grow the future.
Unfortunately Brian whether it's called socialism by me (and most I speak with) or some other name conjured up by the academics it always seems to lead to the increasing role of the state at the expense of the individual. Thus the cost of running the state is stifling the energy of the nation. The wealth creative class is increasingly disincentivised to the increasing benefit of the proliferating functionaries, time servers and hangers on. It's not just about money either but about quality of life. The state quietly gathers weight and inertia. It's clear that it's not just the rich who will be paying for the mistakes of the past, but will lessons have been learned? I'm all for clearing out the stables but I suspect that it won't be sufficiently done.
ok...this isnt really on thread...but fun.....Brian and David....Hollande is turning France into the only communist european country...if you are a businessman...forget it....JW Bush was right...the French have no word for Entrapreneur...or at least no use for the word. The papers are full of comments about queues at airports with those wealthy French flooding out of France and into the UK....sacre bleu...Johnny Hallyday has left France and lives as an ex pat in Gstaad and Los Angeles...the point is...all the people with money and businesses leave these shores...Hollande can go whistle...because the poor are not going to pay his dumb taxes. France could be a super power and a super state...they are not because of their insane employment laws....and they will not learn and will not listen...they are immune to good sense.....or at least the politicians are. One good politician who has foresight...could turn France into a superb and wealthy democracy to benefit not only the poor by having much better employment laws and pay....but to encourage business here and improve the communes/towns and cities. The people would be happier in their employment with good wages...and customer services would improve.....France would actually be a country to be reckoned with....but hey...this is a pipe dream....those who like it the way it is...relax...its never going to change in our lifetime...