groslard

It also depends on whether you are under micro-foncier or not. In any case to say 11%  of rental income is a gross over-simplification, which doesn't take into account a number of allowances.

2007 would have been sorted out by the Notaire. 2008  taxe bills will come Sept-Nov for the year Even if you can't declare your Impots in the first year you can still download the forms. You can also try out the simulation on the site.

That is not a low income. It is well above the minimum wage.

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]Social charges on rental income are payable at 11%.   [/quote] I think the % depends on whether or not you are liable to pay taxes on your French income.

If you have received a bill for taxe d'habitation or taxe foncier, you should find your numéro fiscal on it on the top right hand under 'renseignments sur le paiement de l'impot. This is your tax number, and counts equally for taxes on income.

The easiest is to declare by  Internet..and you have a later deadline. http://www.impots.gouv.fr/portal/dgi/public/particuliers?pageId=particuliers&espId=1&sfid=10

Sure it's only for a quick (and perhaps gloomy) estimate. Don't forget though that for repairs etc. to be counted they hav to have been done by a professional firm, and that there 'factures' are sometimes checked by an independant body. Renovations you have done yourslef don't normally count.

I posted this link in another thread. It is a useful ready reckoner to calculate tax payable. http://www.anil.org/guide/calculs/plusvalue/pluvalue.htm

My understanding is that you MUST change to a French Licence if you have points, and that they do keep in contact with the UK in terms of serious offences such as drink-driving (which yours wasn't )

A useful quick calculator can be found at http://www.anil.org/guide/calculs/plusvalue/pluvalue.htm

You might enjoy the area around Minerve. It is technically in the Hérault but on the border with the Aude.  There are English people around,  (especially near Olonzac) but also an active cultural life in some of the villages: I went to a series of concerts celebrating 400 years of Monteverdi's opera "Orfeo".  This may not be your thing, but at least it shows that there is more than hunting wild boar (which can be the only distraction in some parts) see: http://www.minerve-tourisme.com/#

Surely CSG is payable on all 'unearned' income? there is a very useful 'ready reckoner' here: http://www.anil.org/guide/calculs/plusvalue/pluvalue.htm

Is this tread about Oil prices, financial dealings, or French house prices?

[quote user="Boiling a frog"]  .With the introduction of CMU it became illegal for total private medical assurance to be offered.For British people thinking of moving to France Exeter Friendly were one of the leading assurance coys offering medical assurance which for a couple early 50,s was about 150 pounds a month ,if my memory serves me correct . [/quote] I had Exeter Friendly for 3 years till I was admitted into the Assurance Maladie by virtue of my job. It cost me about £70 a month at at the time (mid 90s) and was comprehensive, bur required you to pay for medicines etc and claim them back.  I believe there were some 'franchises' (I forget the word in English) ...you had to pay the first £x of medicines. There was also a clause about getting authorisation before certain procedures, which fortunately I never had to test. I was refused (wrongly) admittance to the Assurance Maladie several times because the official at the CPAM did not understand the system of co-efficients which are applied to some jobs, and miscalculated the hours I had accrued. This is why it took me so long to get into the system, and believe me I know plenty about difficult and incompetent officialdom. This Insurance, plus either a contract of employment, or proof of resources were essential to get a Carte de Séjour and be legally resident. In fact I regret that this is no longer the case: if it had  still been in place between 2000-2007 the present situation would have been avoided. I would also introduce a test of French, and knowledge of French history, values and culture to everybody wishing to settle here ( a bit like tests of English  etc in the UK) but that is another can of worms...

[quote user="Ian"]I don't like racism - yet I do find France a very good country to live in. [/quote] But you are more likely to suffer from Xenophobia than racism. The huge support for the FN (National Front) in the Languedoc can be seen in the results of the 2002 elections. Sarkozy has pinched some of their electoral base, but only by appealing to their baser instincts. A little while ago, when the cinema club in my town wanted to put on a showing of 'the Battle of Algiers' (an Italian made film about torture and atrocities during the last years of French rule in Algeria) a contingent of thugs from the FN turned up and things got nasty. Don't forget too the large number of 'pied noirs', French born in Algeria, but forced to leave when independence was declared. These things don't affect the British here, but are simmering away under the surface, just as old Second world war grievances between families thought to be collaborators and other who were in the Resistance continue in some villages. Until you get to know people really well, and this is not easy for those whose French is not very fluent, these thorny issues remain hidden.

Can't see the Stock market problems, the level of sterling, and UK house depreciation helping the French market Have a look here to see what is happening back there: http://www.propertysnake.co.uk/ and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml;jsessionid=2RGEP0DYPJCQ3QFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/money/2008/01/22/bcnftse122.xml

[quote user="Sc"]It will be interesting to see if you get the 50 Cents charge per medicine prescribed back in the same way. I understand that it's to be accounted for at the issuing of the prescription. Steve [/quote] It's simply withheld from your re-imbursements. It's 50 centimes a box, not per medicine, so if a month's treatment needs 3 boxes it's 1 euro 50

Just look on the Leclerc website, and put in the post code of the town you want. You can see offers for example: http://www.e-leclerc.com/home.asp

See this "Mercredi soir, la quasi totalité des fédérations de l’Education ont assuré se joindre au mouvement pour dénoncer «les suppressions de postes dans l’Education nationale prévues pour 2008»." http://www.lefigaro.fr/economie/2007/12/18/04001-20071218ARTFIG00464-nouvelle-greve-des-fonctionnaires-le-janvier.php

I know some specialists in Montpellier who do: I used to teach them! and yes I have been here a long time..

One problem that the activists on this issue have is the refusal to accept the history and origin of the CMU.  I have posted this several times (and nobody has been able to refute it) but it hasn't sunk in Before 2000 there was no access to the Assurance Maladie for 'inactifs', French or others.  The CMU was brought in by the Socialist government of Lionel Jospin (who had at least one Communist minister), and was one additional access route into the Assurance Maladie. The CMU de base was only expected to cover about 36000 people, (as opposed to the CMU complémentaire which was for the poorest.) In fact it was taken up by many British people who previously would have had to have PMI. Now the political tide has turned. The present Government ( Centre-Right)  is making changes which were voted for by a majority. The politicians in France who brought in the CMU are no longer in power. It is this domestic change which is responsible for the swings in policy.

In fact happiali I would say that Cornwall has a lot in common with the Languedoc, in terms of the attitudes of the local population to outsiders. There is also a local language, Occitan, and a lot of fishermen and abandoned mines. I am happy here, but the OP said he wanted to find the equivalent to Chichester, so I was trying to do him the favour of pointing out that a lot of the towns here are not like that at all: perhaps a bit like Redruth?

You could have a look through this thread. http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1139883/ShowPost.aspx

Don't forget that as far as your French property is concerned you don't have a free hand. French Inheritance law is quite specific. I would certainly advise going to a Notaire in France. Mine gave me the free advice that as my intentions were totally in line with normal practice here there was no point in making a will, but mine is a very simple case..

It is a very nice large village. (about 8500) I was 'gazumped' over a flat I wanted to buy there some years ago when I was working there, so obviously I liked it then, but it has become a bit 'touristy'. on the other hand if you look on the French site I mentioned you will see that for local people there is 20.5 % unemployment, and the average yearly salary is 12 911 €...  http://www.linternaute.com/ville/ville/accueil/390/pezenas.shtml Not a happy mix with the holiday flat market.