Auto-Entrepreneurs now exonerated from CFE for first FOUR years!

Hiya Suzanne - doesn't matter at all - my 5m squared office is the size of a broom cupboard! It depends on where you live and I believe the "Cotisation Minimum" for Pignan (close to Montellier) is one of the highest in France!

Thanks Tracy - why did we have to say how big it was then? I'm confused!

It is totally unrelated to the size, you still have to pay even if there isn't an office.

Thanks Finn - do you know whether it matters what size your office is? We're currently planning our next home and would be interested to know if we should have a broom cupboard office as well as a children's larger office?

You beat me to it Catherine. I just got back from the Tax Office re: Prelevements Sociaux (if you pay cotisations you shouldn't be paying it, the confusion seems to be when the quarterly declaration box which states 'vous avez opte..' and 'vous n'avez opte...' is checked incorrectly. It should be the former) to find this http://www.federation-auto-entrepreneur.fr/actualites/regime/12112012/cfe-exoneration-pendant-4-ans in my Voila inbox. Now got to go back to the Tax Office, fortunately they are very nice!

OK, thanks Finn, FEDAE made it look like it was the up-to-date news but now we know better.

This is really good news ...but what about the minimum payment Fynn's thread is about. Has that gone away? Are we just hoping that the extra year proves government is listening and it won't happen. Still not sure what to do as the minimum payment for Social charges suggested is bigger than my turnover as I only run a hobby that pays for itself........up till now. I will be selling and making jewellery for the government if that minimum payment comes in. 'Look on the Bright side of life...de dum, de dum etc.'

Heres a link to a model asking for a degrevement. Not perfect but works with a bit of jiggling, am about to use it for a degrevement for both of us.

OK, but before jumping up and down too much try looking at the FEDAE Mag. 24 deputies would like to see AE reduced to 18 months. 10 good reasons why they are wrong are given but we have to watch that space when it goes up for discussion/debate and votes from now on. Thus far, it looks like with 830,000 AEs the lobby is strong enough to fend such motions off.

@ Nicole - I think you'd better start working in a broom cupboard - 707 euros - now that would hurt :(

Great news - many thanks. Was due to pay next year and my bill says it would have been 707 euros normally, for working at home in a tiny room of 5 square metres - ouch!

@ Steve - yes it is the replacement of taxe professionelle for Auto-Entrepreneurs as I understand it.

Suzzane / Julie / any one with knowledge ! re CFE so this is an alternative to "taxe Professionelle " by the sounds of it ?

and is levied against the rental value of the space in the home designated as office ? so a small office declaration = less tax ?

Glen, it is an open question what is really happening. The status of AEs appears safe for now, certainly FEDAE are not looking at it as a threatened status in the new newsletter and this one year 'extra' is positive rather than negative although the sceptics will of course have us believe otherwise.

Great news! I have been following this thread closely being one myself. Thanks Catharine and James for always being on the ball.

Thanx for the info Catharine. Our CFE arrived today and like George Nardell I really would appreciate a model letter to contest the demand. I wouldn't like to trust my french on something as important as this. If there is clever french-speaker out there who can help, another pretty, pretty please....:-)

There are some more figures in this thread http://ning.it/QANo0F

@ Steve - its an extra tax for having a small business run from your home I think - we declared our home office as our place of work for my hubby's Auto-Entrepreneur second income. It's only a small income and he would probably stop doing it at all if we had to pay an extra tax as it wouldn't be worth the extra time he puts in.

@ Julie yes that's it. We got ours exonerated as he registered in 2010 but you can see how much you would have paid. Ours would have been 313 euro. The value depends on your commune and I think the size of the office you declared?

great news Catharine! just wanted to check something else with you- how do you go about withdrawing from the scheme?

Help - CFE? Is that Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises? It arrived yesterday - as we are just in our 4th year it looks like we won't have to pay it - if I've got the correct form. Can someone confirm for me because if so I need to get on with requestion an annulation. Thanks x