Accountant/Tax specialist UK/FR

I get this question a lot so I am actively on the lookout for a company or individual to fit the bill. Can you recommend or at least know of a bi-lingual accountant conversant with UK and French tax law/requirements?


I must agree with robert moon, French accounting is complicated and changes every year, as I suppose in does in the UK.

Even though I am blowing my own trumpet, I can probably help you on nearly all of your French personal (not company) tax questions, and am bilingual.

If you need any help feel free to contact me.

Here's the details as requested:

Mark Shreeve FTCA

Kercaradec, 56310

Melrand, Brittany, France

Tel: 0297395903 (within France)

From the UK: 0044 297 395 903

This is his assistant Carol's email address: carol@msc-g.com

Hi

Well my wife and I met with a lady today who was very impressive.

She is going to help me complete this year's tax returns, for which this year I need help.

She is very knowledgeable about both UK and French legal requirements for taxation, inheritance and investments, and will be helping is with all these aspects in the immediate future. Speaks pretty much fluent English and German as well as French.

She is very busy right now helping people complete their paper based Tax returns but she said she would try and help anyone with a problem before the deadline for such declarations.

I do mine on-line so I have more time post May 15 or whenever the precise date is.

If you wish to contact her, mention my name ( I am NOT on commission!!!) the details are

drolshagen.yvonne@free.fr

I hope she is as helpful for you as she has already been for us

Please can you post the details of this company Wendy?

I think that for most of us it is an accountant that is bi-lingual and understands the French system that would be of most use.

Hi all

As you know I live Ste Foy La Grande and will travel out to Bordeaux, Perigueux and Marmande.

So far I have 3 companies that I have found and am working with to see who suits my needs best and will report as I go.

Yup, recommendations are always welcome!

I would be interested to know too...

Wendy I think you can put up the details of the company here...! would be very useful for lots of people

x teresa

My husband and I use an English independent accountant who is bi-lingual as are all of his admin team which is made up of both English and French employees. He has been practising in France for over 30 years and also took care of the UK side of things for us. He got us set up with our businesses and into the healthcare system as well as a heap of other things. His admin assistant Carol is a little gem and also a font of all knowledge and extremely helpful. I send her everything that I'm not sure about and she deals with it including filling out forms. Patience of a saint too! We also get bulletins/reminders about important information and deadlines. He was recommended to us by friends and have no hesitation doing the same! The practice is based in Brittany. PM for details if anyone is interested.

Would love to see an answer to this question too - we especially need an expert on UK/French inheritance law.....

Someone who says they are an expert in both French and UK tax law (as well as bilingual) are probably expert in neither! Tax law is an enormous topic in both countries and it's impossible to be truly expert in both. If your tax affairs are fairly complex then the best option is to find an accountancy firm with offices in both the UK and France that will liaise happily with each other. This tends to mean you have to use costly larger firms such as my old employer BDO. However, they will be capable of dealing with all the taxes on your behalf which means they will consider income tax, capital taxes and inheritance taxes (as well as any other applicable taxes/duties) as part of the same service.

If your affairs are fairly simple then it may be possible to get away with using someone who claims to be expert in both country's tax laws but I would be very cautious. It may be better to use two smaller independent firms, one in each country, to keep fees relatively low.

I suggest if no-one here is able to come up with suggestions that you maybe check out The Connexion newspaper for adverts or ask on other forums.

Whoever you choose to use I would urge you to ensure that they are members of the appropriate professional bodies in either France or the UK.

I agree. With regard to accountants, if your accounts are wrong you're in Pooville. Go French!

That's quite a big ask, but a useful one. Given that taxation and accountancy are two huge minefields in their own right, having specialised knowledge of two countries' systems would tend to attract a premium, I would think. Unfortunately, I know of no one having that capability either and would be equally interested.

We have used Cabinet Henderson since 1996. Mr Henderson was an English Accountant in France and his company was taken over years ago by Compagnie Fiduciaire and are now based just South of Bordeaux. This is a suggestion rather than a recommendation but they are always at the end of a phone or email when needed and we have had no problems up to now. Just Google them and make your own mind up.

we found a branch of Pricewaterhousecoopers in Cherbourg...but they were so snooty we won't go there again!! In 15 years here we haven't found anyone!

Yes James, that information would be very helpful for many of us.

I apologise if this post is unacceptable.

There is one firm who I would not recommend and that is AFA Expertise, now in the process of going into liquidation.The owner had a terrible reputation of taking money from clients, doing little or no work and going quiet on them for months at a time. She apparently is joining a firm in Brittany.

A word of warning before Admin remove this post (understandably and with good intention); AFA used to advertise on a different forum and any bad publicity was removed.

This is a recent post (not removed!):

"I do believe there have been numerous postings on xxforumxxx warning people against dealing with AFA Expertise but because she was an advertiser on the site, the editors chose to monitor and remove these posts. Perhaps if the editors had left these postings on, so many people would not have employed her and would not now be in such a mess.

Perhaps now that AFA Expertise is in liquidation and, we assume, no longer an advertiser, perhaps the editors of xxforumxxx will be kind enough to leave all relevant postings on the site".

Rob

Are you available ? Can we talk?