“When the dust settles” has been heard numerous times in relation to Brexit. Whether the dust has
yet settled or not, is a matter of personal opinion but what is clear is that the UK has a complicated
relationship with its former EU partners and it is difficult to predict what the future will hold.
However, one thing is clear according to the financial sector and that is that the UK will introduce
hard measures to hang onto funds and introduce punitive tax penalties for those funds that leave to
go abroad.
Brexit may have been “done and dusted” but where are we all? Covid has clouded the issue but it
has also created opportunities for people to do things they might have been putting off. It has given
many clients the time to consider their current financial position and to reorganise their affairs.
Pensions will be first to be hit, according to experts followed by lump sum investments. It will not
only be the UK taking action; France is also expected to be looking at what it can gather from
expatriates living in France.
But you don’t have to sit back and wait for governments to act and stress yourself out in the
process! There are measures you can take; the first step is to book a financial review with your
Spectrum adviser. We have a wealth of experience and resources available and at your disposal. We
can quickly identify opportunities to bring your finances under your control and maximise
investment and tax efficiency.
We can also assist with administrative issues and offer tax advice.
Acting now means that it’s not too late to firm up your overall living status and ensure that all is in
“apple pie order” for your peace of mind – but too late is coming! Contact your Spectrum Adviser for
an expert appraisal of your situation and free advice.
Claire Cammack
Adviser, Spectrum IFA Group
Get in touch with Claire Cammack by replying publicly to this post or messaging them here @Claire1
Out of curiosity does SF do any checking of people who become affiliates?
(Fabien excepted as you could wallpaper the Élysée Palace with commendations from happy customers)
We are vaguely looking for some financial advice so I started reading…but then took exception to the tone which was hugely off putting. Basically trying to frighten people into booking an appointment. Maybe just me, but really came across as a firm who sees the British immigrant population as marks, not customers.
We have been resident and in tax system for over 10 years. we are buying our house by a mortgage. We have a property in the UK which is rented out.
We have now decided to sell the UK property and pay off the French mortgage. How do we sort out the Tax implications ?
When you sell your UK house you have 30 days to declare to HMRC, and lots of HMRC advice on line about how to do this. Depending on the details you will have to pay capital gains tax. You then tell the French tax authorities, who may well be completely uninterested….depends on the size of the gain and how long you have owned the house for.
We sold a UK property in June that we’d owned for over 30 years, the HMRC declaration was all done on-line and took just a few minutes to do. There is no similar section on the Impots site to declare a sale if there is no tax to pay nor any possible form to complete so the only real option is to arrange a rdv with your local tax where you will no doubt be met with complete bemusement as to why you’re trying to tell them about a transaction that does not result in a taxable charge.
Personally, I can’t see any problem with talking to the French Tax Folk.
I know that the lady in our local office takes great pains to help folk… and she would rather be offered too much paperwork/information than not enough.
Under normal circumstances I’d agree with you Stella, but why would you disrupt their day to inform them of a financial transaction which has no taxable consequence?
These days, I’d send a message to “my” local Tax Person… and give the bare bones of whatever my situation and ask if we could discuss… face to face… rather than I make a mistake…
She handles a large section of the local population, which includes quite a few Brits (including me). She and I have got quite pally over the years (she knows my village/neighbours very well)… and sometimes she will tell me something and/or explain something, then say… tell your British friends, please…
If my query is really easy and she can simply zap me a reply… she will do so, with no need for a meeting.
Frankly, I’d tell them if I’d got a sum of money suddenly arrive.
I’m a belt and braces person… I’d rather say… I reckon there’s no CG tax to pay on this, but this is the sum I am suddenly the richer … are you agreed that there is NO Tax ???
and me, being me… I’d ask her to please mark my records accordingly… this sum declared but no tax to pay…
Mind you, where does this get us in Worldwide Income declaration… it would doubtless put me into the “paying Taxes” bracket… which I haven’t been in for some time.
In addition to @JaneJones’ response, I would like to point out that any capital gains tax paid in the UK will give you a credit on any capital gains tax that you are required to pay in France as a French tax resident.
I asked about capital gains at the tax office yesterday but didn’t really understand the answer. There should be no tax to pay but there will be social charges - does the tax office deal with this too?
