[Washing machine engineer]

Look for a small local shop that sells washing machines. Our local shop also repairs. Nowhere near you though!  Ask the shop anyway.

Or use Pages Jaunes.

[Is it possible for auto-entrepreneurs to deduct from their tax rates by donating the product they sell?]

We think we must be missing something here. The net "taxable" amount for you as an AE is, say, "x". Are you saying that you (OP) are paying income tax on this "x" or just social contributions?

Nothing will make the social contributions less and income tax actually payable depends on your total income. We can see no way that your proposed "donations" can come off your income tax. In any case the cost to you of the donation is actually the true cost of making the kits not the notional amount for AE.  If you don't sell something but give it away then you will,not be "taxed" on the value of that item.

There are a very few charities that give rise to a tax deduction (i.e. Restos du coeur) but not all.

As Chancer said, if you want to give some away: do so.  If you cannot afford to do it perhaps you should up your prices.

Your question is so confusing and we are both accountants!  In any case there are costs in having an association.

[European breakdown cover for elderly UK car]

Charged in Euros to my UK credit card - good job it was last week not today...

[European breakdown cover for elderly UK car]

"They (ADAC) don't take Credit cards" (Quote above)

I have renewed in the last week and as always sent them an email saying (in English) "please debit my credit card xxxx".

I have always paid with a credit card so not sure where the problem is!

Whe I first joined I telephoned and then, if I recall correctly, replied to an email from them to confirm information.

[European breakdown cover for elderly UK car]

Agree, look at ADAC. They speak English and we have just renewed.  Daughter lives in Germany and they use ADAC and have been very happy when used.

[CPAM email]

Mogs: Unless you really cannot, I would go to the actual local CPAM office. Then you will know if the email was real (take a printed copy) and can explain everything. If you write you risk delay (assuming it was not a scam...).

Mrs H

[SPANC (down Norman)!]

Our SPANC inspector did - yes.  It is mentioned as not being there on the report we were given. There seems little follow up (none in fact!).

We are in Lower Normandy.

[3 children to get into ecole maternelle...?]

Can one ask the basic question: Why?

Rather than focusing on childcare I would think about:

1. Brexit - will you be able to move in a couple of years without income in France or a job.

2. If this "small UK business" is to be run from France it will need to be registered in France - expensive but at least there might then be healthcare.

3. Healthcare? Not available unless working and only 70% or so of costs covered without extra insurance - (except for UK pensioners before Brexit - no idea about afterwards).

4. Do you know about the French education system? Not so free and easy as the UK!

and that is just for starters.

Lots and lots more research needed.

[Chancer AND Hoddy]

Sorry, read the thread concerned before moving down the sections. I have posted the same thing as you Idun in a new post. 

Chancer , send the OP a PM to say post again somewhere else on the site!

[Chancer;]

The paragraph by the side of link to this section says " you cannot reply" - you contact people direct, by email or PM.

[French law or UK law]

Hi

I really don't think any of us can help. We have given you links to the law.

Have you, for instance, legal cover on your insurance - perhaps they could advise. Otherwise perhaps see a Notaire. They only charge if they actually "do" something - you should be able to get a free appointment, or perhaps an Avocat.

Your quote for the UK solicotor is actally cheap (sad to say) but it should be cheaper to get  initial advice in France. In any case you would need someone in the UK who knows French law.

I do feel for you after our own 18 months of hell sorting out Aide for an oldie.

Mrs H.

[French law or UK law]

Sounds exactly like support for oldies if they have to go into a nursing Home in France.  Unless the oldie can pay in full they can apply for "aide".  All children will be asked for income details wherever they are in the world. This is French law and if the children (say in the UK or anywhere else) refuse to give the information the "Aide" will be refused.

This is something I have experienced - I live in France and complied with the request  but a sibling not living in France refused. A court case ensued and the Judge gave an order for how much said sibling must pay. This enabled the Aide to be claimed and apparently the "powers that be" will chase for the money with a European writ. I would not recommend going to court as it is expensive and stressful but in our case was impossible to avoid.

If you have a word with an avocat you will be told that French law applies whatever the nationality of the person wanting the "aide". Your ex may not like it but the French expect the family to share costs.

I hope your daughter gets to Uni as she wishes.

Mrs H.

[This board blocked???]

I'm not having any problems getting in on the site (well apart from our "speed" being rubbish). What has just started to happen though which is very annoying is that every time I click back or onto a new thread the whole lavendar field photo flashes up before I get to where I want to be.

I can see very little merit in having the lavendar field photo at all - nice photo but why?

I use Firefox, no error messages and adblock plus is working fine.

["Crit'Air"; stickers obligatory for driving in major cities]

Cannot believe 6 pages of mostly agonising about this. They cost about 4 euros - unless you never go anywhere just get one - and get over it!

Mine (lilac) looks very small next to the the much bigger green German one on the windscreen.

Mrs H

[Wifi internet radios]

Thank you gardengirl. We have had Roberts radios (ordinary ones) so will consider the wifi one - they are at expensive end of the range!

The voice saying you cannot get a programme and the break up and restart we get on a laptop too.

Thanks

Mrs H.

[Wifi internet radios]

Thanks Chancer, most helpful.

ALBF: No I do not have wifi on a phone - I use an old fashioned mobile phone for calls, nothing else!!

I do not want to be connected to the world 24 hours a day, hate facebook and won't use it. Children and grandchildren (and elderly father) know how to find us, that is enough for me.

Thanks for the thought though.

Mrs H.

[Wifi internet radios]

Hi

If anyone uses an internet (wifi) radio I would be glad to have comments and which make you have. Is it any good?

Currently we use a laptop to get Radio 4 (FM) as our ordinary radio gets LW only (of course). We hate cricket!!! All summer we will have to use the laptop and wondered whether an internet radio would be the answer. We do not have UK tv (by choice) so do not get the radio on our satellite.

I have looked online but the prices vary enormously so recommendations would be really helpful.

Many thanks

Mrs H.

 

[French milk]

Idun: The Elle & Vire "Creme Mascarpone" (mentioned earlier) really does whip beautifully, in  a couple of minutes. I add a spoonful of vanilla sugar (not a fixe - I make the sugar myself) and it is indistiguisable from whipped cream. Only (I think) 30% is mascarpone. It has only been around for a year or so.

It comes in little cartons and is usually sitting on a shelf next to the E & V ordinary creme so one has to take care to buy the right one.

[Form for UK Tax Reclaim?]

If you already do a tax return in the Uk each year you just put the item on the return. If not you use a form R43 and send it to your tax office.  Add a note about it on the last page.

You can find the form on the HMRC website.

I assume you are talking of a once only taking of a pension pot? If you actually mean that you will get a monthly or annual income for the future as "drawdown" then the tax return is probably the way to go.  It is just like a pension then.

If you do a forum search on "cashing in a pension pot" you will see earlier postings re this.

Mrs H

Edit: This reminded me that I have to put an item like this on our French tax form - I shall have to look up which box to put it in though!

[Online Grocery Shopping]

Hi

Is there no-one near you that you chat to, or some organisation you could join (say walking or sewing...) so that you would meet people who may well be willing to take you shopping when they go. You could contribute to the petrol cost perhaps?

Mrs H.

[Asiatic hornets nest]

Thanks Pirou. So: you are saying that if our nest is last year's then several queens may have already gone off (last autumn) and will be busy chewing up trees to make themselves a new nest for 2017?

What is odd is that the trees have been bare for months yet we only saw this nest at the week-end and a holiday home owner nearby says he only noticed it then too.  We saw no hornets of any kind last summer which is unusual.  This nest is immediately over the fence at the bottom of part of our garden with a view from a biggish window and we often look out at birds etc from there.  It is less than 20 metres from the house.  When would a new nest be finished would you think - e. g. April, May etc?

I should say that the nest is in a hazelnut tree.

We are hoping to see the farmer today and may well go to our own Mairie (now only a "sub" one) tomorrow when we get an adminstrative assistant for an hour!  We have found before that the Mairie staff are, shall we say, under-trained.

We are most grateful for all the replies.

H.

[Wanted: Hearing Aid info]

Don't get too hung up on not having a mutuelle - they often contribute very little to hearing aids or dentures!

Both cost an arm and a leg regardless.  My Dad told the chap who wanted him to buy a hearing aid that 3,200 euros when one is 93 is "not value for money"...  However he does not have 45% hearing loss - just find crowds difficult and he was told that the hearing aids would not help that anyway!

Good luck whatever you decide

[Asiatic hornets nest]

We agree that it may be "last year's" nest but wonder when the queen departs to make a new nest. Will she be gone by now?

Mairie (commune not our own delegué one) said: yes a problem but it is for the owner to get rid of it. Neither the mairie nor the pompiers will help.

We will search out the user of the field, who is not the owner, and see what he thinks. He will at least know who the owner is!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

H.

Edit: not remotely like a rugby ball, much, much bigger and circular.

[Asiatic hornets nest]

Guardian: Yes we are sure - googled it and the nest photo is exactly what we have. Big ball, pale cream with slits!

A friend who keeps bees (I forgot that he would know) says that we do need to tell the Mairie as they are tracking the movements and will arrange the destruction.  The mairie will know who owns the land (not us!) so if they want paying it will not be our problem - we just report the existence of the nest.

Thanks to all

H.

[Asiatic hornets nest]

Thank you for answering.  We will go to the Mairie tomorrow anyway we think. We were fairly sure we had read in the local paper that the nests should be reported.

We don't know if it really is "last year's" nest as we have never seen it before so it might be this year's!!

H.