What would make you go back to the UK?

[KarenLot]

@marko

look to go to another English speaking country

Be aware culture, attitudes and also language meanings, assumptions and what you are supposed to interpret that is not said, in another English speaking country can also lead to you not fitting in and misunderstandings.

[JohnH]

@tim17

You might feel differently if your inheritors ended up paying a huge sum in IHT.

I’d be in no position to care.

[tim17]

Good deflection John, are you bothered about leaving anything to your offspring (if you have any of course)?

[marko]

Ain’t that the truth. I’d read up before hand should the need arise. Some English speaking places, e.g. England, I’d rule out (without disrespect to anyone here) for exactly those reasons. I’m not English and so experienced those sort of differences living there.

[Gareth]

@tim17

You might feel differently if your inheritors ended up paying a huge sum in IHT.

Why would I?

[tim17]

Are you really suggesting that you’d be okay with leaving your children with a 500/600K IHT bill (for example)?

[Porridge]

@tim17

Are you really suggesting that you’d be okay with leaving your children with a 500/600K IHT bill (for example)?

It’s cultural, isn’t it? On SF (not a representative sample of French residents, of course, and low on French-born citizens) the only people who can’t cope with the French rate of IHT are incomers.

And IHT is quite an effective leveller, apart from for the super-rich who will have ways around it.

[vero]

@Porridge

low on French-born citizens

Don’t know how many there are us.

[Gareth]

@tim17

Are you really suggesting that you’d be okay with leaving your children with a 500/600K IHT bill (for example)?

My quick, back-of-a-fag-packet maths tells me that if my son has had to pay 500,000€ in inheritance tax then that means the estate was worth in the region of 1,800,000€.

So yes I’d be okay with him paying that amount of inheritance tax.

Now, your turn. Would you?

[tim17]

Short answer is yes as he’d still have a large inheritance.

Everyone’s situation is different as is their view on the French IHT regime as a whole, for Brits living in France with stepchildren it can be very hard to avoid paying 60% IHT unless you take drastic action such as adopting the children as adults or moving back to the UK.

[JohnH]

@tim17

Good deflection John, are you bothered about leaving anything to your offspring (if you have any of course)?

I’ve preferred to give them what I can to set themselves up now rather than wait until we’re gone.
Given that they have a €150k IHT allowance each and then it’s 20% up to the next half million each, I don’t think they’re going to be too troubled by tax.

[NotALot]

I didn’t think you could adopt adults under UK law.

[Adam1]

@Gareth

This may be an unpopular opinion but I just see tax - inheritance tax, income tax, taxe d’habitation, whatever - as a necessity to help make France the wonderful country that it is.

By living here I am benefiting - either directly or indirectly - from the infrastructure, healthcare, public services, judicial system, education, etc… Those things all need funding, and that comes from taxation. To

How refreshing to hear!

Totally agree, pay the godam tax, or like the op, pee off out!

My wife is a tax lawyer with trust expertise and is quite eloquent on why the average trust is useless and can easily be raided by the authorities - or if not by them, the trustees

[SuePJ]

@tim17

adopting the children as adults

I think Vero said only French people can do that. Sorry, I see @NotALot got there first.

[SuePJ]

@Gareth

So yes I’d be okay with him paying that amount of inheritance tax.

The problem is it has to be paid pronto. And an estate based on property may take years to sell.

If the inheritors don’t live in France I doubt they would be thrilled to find they have a huge tax bill and then have to sort out the bureaucracy in a foreign country, language and system.

[JohnH]

@SuePJ

The problem is it has to be paid pronto. And an estate based on property may take years to sell.

Surely that can be planned around by ensuring the estate has a cash element or an insurance policy.

[Ancient_Mariner]

I’d have to hope we could resist them.

[Gareth]

@JohnH

Surely that can be planned around by ensuring the estate has a cash element or an insurance policy.

Her name is Sue, not Shirley

[DrMarkH]

@Gareth

Her name is Sue, not Shirley

That one doesn’t work so well in print!

[Roger_Lapin]

@SuePJ

We’re going back and looking forward to it, much as we love our life here.

Everything in life has its time, it’s spotting the moment that’s tricky. Downsizing and moving back “home” are two good examples. Both better done too (well, slightly) early than too late.