Well worth a read.
Rubbish - it’s part of a long standing two-way treaty between the UK and most Western European nations, so it’s little different than for French retirees in the UK.
We pay tax here on two of my pensions, tax on our property, water and electricity standing charges. Like everyone else we pay 20% VAT on virtually everything and apart from what we spend on short trips to Spain, all our outgoings are in France. Like like many other Brits, we support artisans in poor rural economies (and unlike a lot of our French neighbours) we don’t pay cash in hand.
OTOH we cannot vote - taxation without representation…
I’m afraid this whole comment reads like something from The Sun, or a couple of half drunk blokes down the pub regurgitating some nonsense they heard on LBC or the like, no nuance to the intricacies of life, which is what usually happens when you oversimplify things.
No….but I am not going to pay tax to a country I don’t live in. Spain, Bulgaria, Italy or wherever that I don’t benefit from.
Pensions and healthcare when moving abroad. I have no pension in either country but I pay 100 euros a month for health care in France
I am so glad I never wasted any money in my life investing in a pension.
I will simplify if more for you.
It makes no financial sense to pay money to a country you don’t live in.
I have to say I find that an extraordinary statement! If you are wealthy enough to have put aside money in other forms to fund your retirement, good for you - but most people find it hard to save money for a distant future, and a personal pension is one of the most tax-efficient ways to save money for retirement.
In the UK the government chips in with 20% tax relief (or more if you are a higher rate tax payer) which makes it one of the best long-term investments anyone can make. And because you can’t access the money until you are 55 it avoids the temptation to withdraw from it, so that it keeps on growing.
If I had not had at least sufficient self-discipline to put a relatively small amount money each month into a personal pension since I was in my 20s, i would be facing a pretty dire future now. I wish I had put more into it, but I have never had a massive salary or earned very much while self-employed.
I completely agree.
The French living in the UK have it better (and there a lot more of them than us Brits in France) because they have healthcare in the UK and healthcare in France.
And if you speak half arsed English you will get a job.
All those people living in France (and elsewhere) who topped their NI payments up to increase their UK pension must feel mighty foolish now you have said that. They’ll be saying “why did I listen to an expert when I should have just asked @Loire?”
What is a NI payment ?
I really have no idea what you are talking about.
I mean that sincerely.
It’s the Northern Ireland payment - a special tax that was levied after the Good Friday agreement to stop the troubles.
Thanks @Ancient_Mariner, you beat me to it. You’re always so helpful to chip in with answers if people are otherwise engaged.
I think in certain areas, it’s also known known as a ‘Belfaster’
(not to be confused with a Belstaff, which is something very different).
It used to be said that London was France’s third city by population, but not any more. In 2011 only 138,000 and apparently many left due to changes in getting permanent residence status. Nearly 150,000 Withdrawal Agreement cards issued to British people.
Well, you’re well qualified then ![]()
@Loire that won’t matter for quite a lot of us here currently as the Brexit “WARP” Visa is held by many who are now here. And that visa type always includes the right to work in France.
Those who arrived from 2021 onwards would have to ensure a correct visa if they wish to work. Those arriving 2020 or before from the UK would mostly have the WARP variety of visa assuming they made the application at the correct time, so would have the right to work as part of their visa.
My wife is friends with one of douanes at the local airport. You would be surprised how many French families living in the UK are using the UK flight. I always thought it was mainly a British flight with a few French tourists. Nope.
Likewise with the Caen and other ferries/tunnel/Eurostar. The French cars tend to be British and a lot of British cars are French.
I worked for a French company in the UK that was mostly French. That is why I am in France. They are all still there.
My sister knows loads of French in the UK. I have only met a handful of British living in France over the years and they don’t tend to last long.
Naaa I reckon there are a lot more French living in the UK than you think. More, less or equal. Dunno.
More methinks.
Without any facts to back up anecdotes then I stick to what has been published.
This is a start…
On estime à presque 300 000 le nombre de Français au Royaume-Uni, dont 60% dans le Grand Londres. Outre nos consulats généraux à Londres et Edimbourg, le Royaume-Uni accueille 20 consulats honoraires, 11 Alliances françaises et 2 Instituts français.