I understand that John but we're also below the tax threshold but we DO pay taxe d'habitation - albeit at a v. reduced rate because of our low income. Age is definitely a factor as per the info on the service publique website.
And yup Peter's right - only if it's your principal residence. Took us a year to convince our local tax office we actually live here and no longer have a house in the UK. In the end, after emails and letters (including to the mediateur) we went into the local Tresorerie and my wife explained very clearly in french that we live here.
We did hear of one lady who, after moving here, didn't receive a taxe d'habitation bill for 5 years because they were all going to her old address in the UK. They then expected her to pay the whole lot in one fell swoop (apparently).
Certainly in our case the first bill went to our old UK address and if we hadn't had the redirection service going we'd have known nothing about it. My wife was just starting to worry that we HADN'T received a bill (she's odd that way!) when it arrived c. 1 month after posting!
ok John so maybe the age limit is linked to income ? anything is possible here as the goalposts seems to change whenever they wish it seems !
also you shouldn't forget this only applies if your french property is your principal residence so maybe the french authorities reckoned you had another property etc ? or your main res was in the uk or wherever ? - just postulating...
Peter i was still paying tax d'habitation at 63 now 66 only after i went onto the french tax system and my pension is to low did i receive exemption also friend of ours is a widow at 66 and still paying tax d'habitation but she also pays tax on a very good pension
Lynn if you dont pay tax you dont pay tax d'habitatiom, assuming you are on the system after our first tax return i opted to pay what ever tax i was going to pay in France my tax return said nil and never had a tax d'habitation bill since that was two years ago
Hohoho, lucky me, two of my specialists are CHU Bordeaux, one is associated with it and the other moved to head his department in Libourne from CHU. But yes, fantastic resources there in Bordeaux that I am very happy with.
OK, my two grown up children have been independant from leaving college, son did an engineering apprenticeship he married at 22 decided to move to SA with his engineering degree , worked at the Secunda oil refinery , working from 5am to 4pm earning excellent money, three years later decided to return to the UK bought a house and started his own engineeing company , he is successful in his business life with a diving school as well , he was never brought up selfish , but is now, my daughter is a different person , had to get through cancer twice , she has adopted two now fairly grown up children , she is the most unselfish person one could ever wish for, I am invited to visit as many times as I have the time to do so , she has been treated fantastically by the NHS , would I go back to the UK to live , maybe in a few years if I start to loose the plot, it is fine having many friends around , but of course they are ageing as I am and may not be around as support, could I spend the last few years of my life here without family around , the answer today , I do not know!!!
Le Point or L'Express, can't remember which, does a list every year of the 'best' hospitals arranged by category & outcomes eg orthopaedics/cardiology/oncology/stroke, that sort of thing. I expect it is downloadable, google palmarès des hopitaux 2013 or the like. Here's what I found:
I am not sure if such lists exist. For me it just happened that I struck lucky. Once you have one good specialist, as I have in Bordeaux, they recommend others in other areas and then build on that. I have four excellent people now plus a second one for when I need my shoulder replacement in the near future. So far that has all been word of mouth from them. I have no idea how we might have found them without that.
Hello Brian, is there lists in france of the best hospitals and surgeons, I Ask this because I have to have an operation on my spine the results of this are not great but beng in a wherlchair would be as bad so would like the best possible . Thanks
Chris how do you get free tax d’habitation and reduced fonciere?
We live in the 74 region and have done for 9 years, we love it, had no problems with anything, I have had excellent health care type 2 diabetic and severe Arthrose in my spine hip and knee, I have regular check ups for diabetes and costs me nothing, if I have to go to the Dr for anything rise it costs 23 euro which two thirds are returned into my bank, and I don’t just have a 5 appointment if it takes half an hour then that’s ok for him. Would I go back noway.
I am really sorry to hear that Viona. As a couple we were lucky that we both missed our busy lives in the UK so it was a joint decision to move back...having said that, selling is so slow and difficult here, that several years on, we are in no hurry to sell, but we both are aware of how much UK prices are rising again. Our old house that we sold in October 2009 has just re-sold for over £60,000 more than we sold it for, whereas the house we bought in France we are selling at a loss.