[Microsoft Money 2005 Standard]

I don't know whether this would work, but it might be worth a try.  Money 2005 is apparently still available as a free trial download.  If you can make contact with somebody in MS, you could ask whether you can download the English trial version and then use your existing registration code (or product serial number, or whatever they call it) to activate it.

After all, you've paid for one licence for one user, and it shouldn't make any difference to MS whether the licence is being used for a French version or an English one.

[Theres a hole in my bank account]

[quote user="Juswundrin"]Running into problems with Neuf taking money incorrectly, we told the bank to cancel the prelevement. The bank cancelled it, and Neuf could no longer take funds from our account.

There was a charge of about E12, but it's certainly possible to cancel them.[/quote]It seems very likely to me that what you actually did was faire opposition, which - as I tried to explain - blocks the use of the prélèvement temporarily but does not cancel it.

Most suppliers are honest and the problem eventually goes away, which is probably why this business is not widely known (except to bankers).   In your case it sounds as though the supplier acknowledged his error, so it may not be important to you.

Nevertheless, if you can be bothered to check, have a look at your bank statement showing the €12 charge.  If it's described as frais opposition, then that's what you did - and I think if you enquired you would find that the direct debit order is still in force, even if it isn't being used.

[Theres a hole in my bank account]

[quote user="Andyphilpott"]I know it is difficult to cancel Direct Debits in France, but it is possible with help from someone who speaks French and understands the systems.[/quote]No, unfortunately, it isn't, and it's one of the worst features of French banking in my opinion.

An ordre de prélèvement is not an order to your bank to accept transfer instructions from your supplier.  It's an authorization to your supplier to take money from your bank account.  It may seem like just a technical difference, but the effect is that your bank cannot cancel it, which means that you cannot cancel it by writing to your bank.  All you can do is tell your supplier to stop using it.  (You can, and should, use registered mail - but this isn't foolproof, as I've discovered.  I'll post separately on this topic, since it's relevant to many things other than banking.)

Now, if your supplier is honest, it doesn't matter.  But I am being taken to the cleaners by a supplier who is taking advantage of the fact that I made a mistake under the contract in response to his failure to provide the service.  He is acting quite unethically in my opinion, and my bank agrees.  But the only thing I can do, as far as the bank is concerned, is to tell them not to honour the supplier's instruction (faire opposition) - but this is only a temporary thing, renewable every 6 months, for a fee of course.

This whole thing seemed to me so absurd that I made a fool of myself by arguing with my bank, saying it couldn't be so.  In the end I said: "Do you mean that even if I have good reason to distrust the supplier - he's hired someone I know to be guilty of fraud, or he's been taken over by the Mafia - he will have the power to remove money from my account for ever, or at least until I close the account or die?"

They said yes.  So I'm getting ready to close the account. 

If anyone has been through the process of changing bank accounts in France (not necessarily for the same reason) I'd be interested to hear how it went.

[top up insurance.]

I agree with the people who have said that it's a good thing to have some top-up insurance, but don't assume that there's only one option.  The company I use (Mutuelle de Poitiers) offers four different levels of cover with different premiums, and I assume that most of the companies do something similar.

[Code de la Route]

I thought this was a trivial point, but it turns out to be quite significant.

SD: we are at cross purposes.  (How's that for a pun?)  The St Andrew's cross is illustrated in my copy of the Code de la Route and it's quite obvious from the illustration that it means "no entry to this lane".  On reflection, I'm fairly sure that this must be the one that your quotation referred to.

But I think the original question referred to the little red cross that you sometimes see attached to a conventional traffic light, which is in the form of a Greek cross, and which means "vehicles coming from the opposite direction, i.e. behind this light, are facing a red light and must therefore stop (and you may therefore turn left in safety)".

The only reference to this in the Code de la Route is illustrated by a photograph that shows the Greek cross with the following explanation:

Dans certaines intersections, le feu peut être visible sur l'arrière; cela permet aux usagers arrivant en face qui tournent sur leur gauche de savoir à quel moment ils peuvent passer.

I should mention that in this message the Code de la Route means a summary of the Code published by Michelin, not the actual Code, which (as you no doubt know) is much bigger and more detailed.

Nevertheless, I think we have uncovered a defect in the regulations.  

[New tyre x 2?]

[quote user="J.R."]I am personally happy to have (reasonably) unevenly worn tyres or different marques on the same "axle" but respect the opinions of others who are not.[/quote]

The Code de la Route is clear on this point; there must not be a difference of more than 5mm in tread depth between two tyres on the same axle.

This rather obviously implies that there should be no objection to installing just one new tyre, as long as that requirement is met.  My conclusion, FWIW, is that the dealer would prefer to sell you two and that's the only reason.

I must say that I was surprised to find that the permissible difference is as much as 5mm; it seems a lot.  I have double-checked the source, to make sure it wasn't a misprint.

[Code de la Route]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]The Red Cross is classified as signal number R21a and is defined as follows:

"A fixed red light in the shape of cross of Saint Andrew means that traffic is prohibited from proceeding on the road beneath it.[/quote]

Here's a curious detail:  St Andrew's cross in Britain means a cross at 45º to the horizontal and vertical (and I've checked that the croix de Saint-André means the same in France).  But the little red crosses that I've seen on traffic lights are always the horizontal-and-vertical type called a Greek cross (also croix grecque).  Could this be a local variation?

[Driving Licence stuff - taking up the challenge]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

Furthermore, even if the person is identified by the police as having had his UK licence withdrawn, the second EU licence will remain valid because the UK authorities cannot revoke a foreign issued licence.[/quote]

SD: if you're right, it means that the UK courts do not have the power to prevent someone with a foreign EU licence from driving in the UK, no matter what he does.  Can this be correct?

[Please settle an argument !!]

[quote user="BobDee"]All Uk insurance policies currently provide third party insurance in the EU...[/quote]Correction: all valid UK insurance policies currently provide third party insurance in the EU.

What I would worry about is the possibility that if you are operating the car in contravention of the French laws on registration, your policy may not be valid.

I admit I'm not completely sure about this, but the risk is potentially horrendous.  If you cause loss or injury and your insurer can deny liability ...

Is it worth it?

[Falling sterling]

[quote user="Gluestick"]I suppose that one has to realise that not only are forex markets as fickle as all other markets: they are not wholly predictable, nor are they rational![/quote]

Why do you say they are not rational?  They are based on expectations, which may be wrong: but it is perfectly rational to base a decision on whatever information you have, recognizing that it may not be reliable.

Incidentally, you missed one of the most important determinants of any FX rate, which is the expected difference in price inflation between two economies.

[importing a car from Belgium]

A minor point: France requires number plates to be riveted on to the car.  Many countries don't, although I don't know about Belgium or Germany. 

I imported two cars from Spain and innocently used the same nuts and bolts to attach the French plates.  This had been legal in Spain and also in Luxembourg, where one of them had previously been registered.  Only on the second French contrôle technique was I told by the inspector that the plates should be riveted; in three years nobody else had noticed.  But I have since heard of one person who was fined following a roadside check.

[Future and Future Perfect forms of the subjunctive]

[quote user="Sfgraveston"]

You need the subjunctive for the following (as very basic everyday examples)

Je pense que nous allions à Paris la semaine prochaine.

[/quote]Bad example.  You wouldn't use the subjunctive in that one.

One trick is to find ways of avoiding the subjunctive if you can.  There are quite a few.   For instance:

Il faut que tu saches ...

- could be replaced by:

Il te faut savoir ...

Another: 

Je ne crois pas qu'il soit capable ...

- could be replaced by:

Je crois qu'il n'est pas capable ...

or: je crois qu'il est incapable ...

One more:

Avant que le train ne parte ...

- could be replaced by:

Avant le départ du train ...

I think it's worth while to study this, as an alternative to learning a whole lot of subjunctive verb forms.

[Wealth Tax]

[quote user="Alan Zoff"]I imagine it would depend on whether or not the 1,000,000 was locked in to the pension so that you could not spend the capital freely. [/quote]Indeed, it might.  It has been said in this thread that taking a mortgage loan on your house wouldn't reduce your taxable wealth, because the proceeds of the loan would still be part of your assets.  But what if you use the loan to buy an annuity?  If the annuity isn't counted as an asset, then you would have succeeded in reducing your taxable wealth while still getting some financial benefit - which you might not get from antiques or other allegedly exempt assets.

Since (unfortunately) I don't have this problem, I'm not going to pay an expert to tell me the answer.  But it would be interesting if there is someone on the forum who already knows.

[Wealth Tax]

What exactly do people mean when they talk about "a pension pot"?

Suppose that I have €1,000,000 in invested funds (I should be so lucky!) which would be enough to buy an annuity of about €60,000.  Suppose that you have no actual funds, but you have a pension entitlement of €60,000 a year.  Obviously your financial position and mine are roughly the same. 

Do we both have "a pension pot" worth about a million?  Assuming that we are both resident in France, would we each pay about the same in French wealth tax?

[FRENCH INHERITANCE LAW]

There is a huge amount of misunderstanding and misinformation in this thread.

(1) French inheritance law is complex and extremely restrictive.  It can not

be overridden or avoided by making a will.  Its effects can,

however, be controlled to some extent by (a) the legal form of marriage

contract, and (b) the legal form of ownership of property.

(2) La Haye is the French name of the Dutch city known as "The Hague" in English and "den Haag" in Dutch or Flemish. 

(3) An international agreement known as "The Hague Convention" ("la

Convention de La Haye") affects the ability of expatriates to make, or

modify, a marrriage contract valid in France.  (In some

circumstances expatriates may have more flexibility than French

citizens in this respect.)

Consult a French notary.  Explain exactly what you own and what

you want to achieve (e.g. what rights do you want your surviving spouse

to have?  What rights do you want your dependants to have? 

How much do you trust your children?)  These are hard questions,

but you have to know the answers.  Do not be led astray by magic words like "tontine". 

If you don't speak enough French, find a notary who speaks English, or

use an interpreter.   This, at least, is my opinion; I think

that a French notary who speaks a bit of English will do you more good

than an English solicitor who speaks a bit of French.  And he

would have to speak more than a bit of French to understand French

inheritance law.

[Notaires what can they accept ?]

"... it is interdit in French law to accept any cheque of this

kind ..."

I think "nonsense" is about the kindest response to this.  There

is no reason why a notary (or anybody else) should refuse a UK banker's

draft, especially if drawn in euros, unless he felt that it might not

be genuine - in which case he should have said so.  And it is

possible to verify a draft, although you might have had to pay for a

phone call. 

Very annoying, and you have my sympathy, although it doesn't help you.

[Can I get a Euro account in the Uk?]

[QUOTE] ...just out of interest, on the cheque you have to write where you are when writing out the cheque...why?[/QUOTE]

I've asked several French people this question.  All agree that

it's irrelevant.  One day I'm going to leave it blank, just to see

what happens.

[Deposit on French House?]

[quote user="Will "]

I for one would not be at all happy about

accepting an offer to buy from a person who did not have the

wherewithal to even get a loan, or one who made the purchase

conditional on selling his/her own house, and would not

(indeed have not) agreed to such a condition.

[/quote]I agree. 

Incidentally, I don't much like the principle of the 1979 law.  If

the buyer changed his mind, and was just a little unscrupulous, he

could always write his loan application in such a way that it had no

chance of being approved.

[Deposit on French House?]

[quote user="Will "]

It is not a good idea to embark on a French

purchase without the finance in place, and many notaires and agents

will not allow it to proceed without either a definite sale of an

existing house, or cash available, or a loan arranged. Unlike in

England, once the sale is agreed you are committed and you cannot just

change your mind.

[/quote]

I don't think this is quite correct.

Under a law of 13 July 1979, if the purchase depends on obtaining a

loan, the sale must be made conditional on the loan actually

being obtained.  I'm taking this from the printed form of compromis de vente which I signed when I bought my house three

years ago.  The French is: ...en cas de financement par un

prêt, la vente doit être conclue sous condition suspensive de

l'obtention du prêt.

If you don't need a loan and you are willing to remove this protection,

you need to hand-write and sign a paragraph in the agreement to that

effect.

I can well imagine that an agent would prefer the buyer to have "a

definite sale of an existing house, or cash available, or a loan

arranged".  It reduces the risk that he will do a lot of work with

no result.  But it seems to me that he can't insist on it, if the

seller is willing to sign without it.

[Can I get a Euro account in the Uk?]

You don't tell us where you live or whether you already have a sterling

account with a UK bank.  If you do, why not ask the bank?

[Cheque Clearance Times]

[quote user="Anton Redman"]There are at two separate issues :r

1. When  you an draw money or write another cheque secure in the knowledge that it will it not bounce.

2. How long before youcan be sure the person who gave you the

cheque as enough cash in his or her account to cover it.[/quote]

The first of these is negotiable.  If you are a known customer of

the bank, they may agree to let you use the funds after a few days -

but you need to ask.

However, it will still be your loss if the other person's cheque bounces.  On

the back of the deposit slip you will probably find "sous réserve

d'encaissement" or something similar.  How long it takes to find

out whether the cheque is good may depend on how remote the other bank

is.  But if you've used the money, and then the other cheque does bounce, then of course that may put you into

overdraft, which can be expensive.

[Transfer money now or wait?]

I am willing to give you an absolutely reliable prediction about the

sterling/euro exchange rate, one that you can bet on with

confidence.  Are you ready?  Here it is:

It will fluctuate.

This is not an original joke, by the way.  It is supposed

to have been said by the banker J P Morgan, just before the 1929 Wall

Street crash, when somebody asked him what the stock market would

do.  But it's still good advice.

[Tax on UK pension]

I don't know if I can help with your particular question, but here is one basic principle that may clarify it a bit:

Depending on

your country of residence, the tax treaty between France and the UK specifies, for each kind of income, whether

France or the UK has the right to tax it.  For example, if you are

resident in France and receive the UK state retirement pension, it is

taxable in France, not in the UK (and the UK should pay it without any

tax deduction.)

However, even income that is not taxable

in France must be reported on your French tax return.  It goes

into a section called "revenus exonérés", and it is included in your

total income in order to determine what rate of tax applies to the

income that is taxable in France.  So, even though it isn't

directly taxable here, it may cause you to pay a bit more tax in the

end.   

I believe that some kinds of pension fall into this category, although not the state retirement pension.