BobDee

SD, The official site viz:: http://www.lot-et-garonne.pref.gouv.fr/1-8242-Permis-de-conduire-etrangers.php Makes specific reference to EEC licences and asks for a translation. The Swansea certificate comes with such, and given all the problems that various posters have had with local Prefectures, doing things the way they are asked for, seems the best course. Perhaps the L & G site is at variance with Brussels policy, but I dont think I'll go the route of pointing out the error of their ways. BobD

Well, went to the local Marie with all the paper work we could think of. Very helpful local lady who we know quite well. She checked all our documentation and added: 1) Letter of attestation for each of us saying we were permanent residents, the one for my wife showing maiden name which we "proved" from copy of our new French Marriage Contract taken out when we first came to France. 2) Certified copy of Cadastral records proving we lived where we said we did. So the documentation comprised: 2 identity photos each.  Completed "Demand de échange de Permit de Conduire" forms 2 copies of our passports, stamped and certified as true by the Marie The certificate from Swansea for each of our licences, that comes with a French translation.   A stamped addressed return envelope Items 1 and 2 as above A cheque for 52 € each, This is the standard Lot et Garonne charge for a new driving license or for changing an existing one. Moving from area to area charges are zero. All was then placed in large brown envelope and sent off to the local Prefecture in Agen (47). Total costs then, 2 x Swansea certificates @ £5 each plus 104 €.  So for all those posters who say its easy and free, not for us it wasnt! Happy Christmas BobDee Of course, we havnt actually received our licenses yet. There might be more excitement to come!      

Our UK accountant told us that the Brit Gov has recruited 20000 extra tax staff to chase tax defaulters but has cut drastically the number of staff whose responsibility it is to repay tax over-payments. Isn't this stealng?  BobD

Ernie, Have you ever tried to to barter with HiFX? We use them too and once into the, " this call is being recorded etc, and "agreeing" a rate, upon reflection it often seems not to be the most generous offering. I wonder if they can be talked down a tad? BobD 

Thanks Clair, Off to the SP Monday morning with everything,, BobD

And another thing........ It has been suggested that the local Marie will supply a letter of Attestation stating that you are a resident. How do they really know? Wouldnt a copy of a tax Fonciere form be enough? Cant believe that collecting all the papers together for what is supposed to be a simple and "free" process can take all day!!!!   BobD

Have to change my UK license in the next few months. The local Prefecture website seems to say that it now costs €52. Have I got this wrong or is this just another Sarko stealth tax? Vous devez présenter : • Une demande d’échange de permis de conduire, remplie et signée • Une pièce d’identité • 2 photographies d’identité • Le permis de conduire et sa traduction officielle • Si vous êtes de nationalité étrangère, le titre de séjour ou de résident • Si vous êtes français, l’attestation d’immatriculation ou de résidence délivrée par le consulat de France. • une enveloppe affranchie au tarif ordinaire et libellée à vos nom et adresse, afin que votre permis vous soit envoyé par voie postale • le règlement de la taxe régionale de 52 € BobDee

Same experience with my W124, other than local Mercedes dealer (Agen), just typed out a letter saying lights and speedo OK but didnt charge anything. The  €125 is a bit heavy given all you get back is a one page form. Still it was sufficient for the local Sous Prefecture to do all the necessary paperwork. Incidently, the charges per CV were a lot less than than the prices quoted in the "Sticky". Those charges refer to Paris and local Departements can be about a third less.  BobD

Thanks for that Les. Didn't fancy re routing the copper. BobD

Looking to replace a 20 year old gas hob. The existing gas connection is a copper pipe to the top right of the hob (looking down from the top.) My question , is there a standard for these connections, i.e., will a new hob present the same connection thread and position? Thanks BobDee

Interesting that the link says they will notify you two months before expiry, presumably to the UK address on the license?

Just to reassure those casual browsers out there, that the system can work as designed,  this week we received the "official" claim acknowledgement from Nottingham Revenue and Customs, saying future payments would be net of UK tax and a "payable order would be sent shortly". Great news. It took however, almost exactly six months from sending off the FD5's with the tax forms, all to the local Tax Office (Agen), in May this year.  No chasers or direct to Paris etc. Interesting to note that this tax office is now called "Charity, Assets & Residence Residency". The charity bit seems especially appropriate! BobDee  

The money will be taken from your account on the due date without you having to do anything more. Usually if you pay on line you get a few days extra before your account is debited.

Thanks for the replies folks. I have just looked the last three telereglements and they are all identical, (2 Foncier and 1 Impots fiscal), so I guess one would surfice. No doubt they will let me know if they cant get their hands on my looto!. BobD

We arrived in France Jan 2007 and filed our first return May this year. In 2007 we paid our first tax Fonciere. We have received the demand for 2007 tax (Income) as well as 2008 tax Fonciere. My query was do we need a separate Telereglemnt for each payment? Havnt yet received the Tax d'habitation. Logically, as per P&P' experiences, the Bank should only need one authority as all are paid to the Tresor Public. T'would be good if the Impots site mentioned this, but perhaps it does, my French not yet being 100%. BobD   

This is our first payment of French Income Tax. We have received Tax Fonciere demands last year,  and paid them on line, but for the first payment we still had to take the telerelement slip with an RIB to the Bank, so not exactly a "Payment on Line." Now we are paying our main Tax "On Line" and still it seems we have to take the tele reglement slip to the bank, although it looks exactly the same as the Tax fonciere slip. I assume that this slip is the Direct debit authorisation, but why does it have to be completed and sent for each tax payment? It looks as though you can register on the Impots website to  fully manage your payments etc, but it seems as though you can only do that once you are allowed to file on line therefore only in your second tax year. Am I missing something or is it matter of taking these slips to the bank for every tax payment until we have been here long enough to get a teledeclarent number? Thanks Bobdee  

Greetings SD et al, Above the sinature box it says: Si un organsime vous demand de lui communiquer le montant des revenues que vous avez declarers á l'administration fiscale, avent de lui envoyer une photocopie, datez et signez la declaration sur honneur figurant au bas du present avis, apres eventuellement completee. Which means I think, you sign and date it when you send the photocopy off. Which makes sense given that you make the declaration on the day you send it off to the interested party. (The hairs, they will be split!!)   BobD

Surely the idea is that you  DONT sign it, but keep the original and if required to demonstrate residence, fiscal state etc, you copy the original, sign the photocopy and send the photocopy off.  

Allan et al, Well that just makes using whatever the rate from the tax office (confirmed in writing of course), says , the one to use. I still think there is a modicum of sense in my argument, but then I always have been slightly crazy!! BobD 

allanb I have been around this forum long enough Allan to know what you say it absolutely right, but the point I was making is that the interest is added to your UK account and that stays in the UK. If in six months time you transfer that interest to your French bank account at a rate that is widely different from the rate that ruled when the interest was originally added, surely this latter  rate would be the correct one to use for tax purposes?

Not sure why I am writing this having promised my self to stay clear of Taxing matters, but lets assume one has a Nationwide Savings account that pays interest annually, and this interest arrives in your UK account, but you dont transfer it to France, how can you calculate a suitable exchange rate given that no true exchange occurred? Granted your actual wealth increased by "X" on a certain date, but wealth where? Back to the vino. BobD 

Its all done.. Hopefully everything as it should be and posted off, with correct amount of postage, to the right address. How long does it typically take to get a response from the authorities? I assume you dont get a direct acknowledgement of receipt. Someone will probably say, I should have taken it in personally, but hearing tales of long queues at the local (Agen) office put me off that one. BobD

How can an accountant be more correct than the local tax office? If you send in a request or visit a tax office and ask what the rate is, and get this response in writing, HOW CAN THIS BE WRONG? BobD

And I would imagine that as the OP "Has just had it installed", it would be on next years return and not 2007? bobD

Thanks for the inputs. The facture shows the two rates HP and HC so we are definitely on the split tariff. From what I can gather than, the use of the EDF switch pulse dosn't do anthing more than would a time switch on each device that would benefit from night time usage, and at least the time switch route has the advantage of keeping all the PC wiring standard. Do EDF have to provide the "pulse detector" relay, or can you source one independently? BobD