oscar

We're 50 and 52 and the last time we paid taxe d'hab was when we were second home owners.  Since we've lived here and filled out a tax form we've only ever been charged for the TV licence.

[quote user="Framboise"] Actually I am somewhat surprised that none of the holier-than-thou-anti-racism brigade have leapt upon their choice of name.    [/quote] Why?  Anyone or anything that is named after someone else could be accused in that case.

Why go to St Malo and stay in a Formula One !!!!  The Hotel St Pierre, l'Univers or France et Chateaubriand are all within the old town and the only time I found any of them noisy was the night France won the World Cup.

When we first moved to France I went down the (A) route and it was a nightmare.  There were other things to pay for apart from employee cotisations, which I didn't feel able to ask my employer to pay for as it had been my choice to come to France.  In the first six months of being here I earnt £11,000 but I paid out over £7,000!  I had looked into (c) before AE existed but as self-employed, but as albert says, it was difficult only having one employer.  Don't know about the (b) option, this seems pretty new and after my time of working for a UK company whilst living in France.

The Manche young farmers association is holding it's annual show on 6th September this year in Beuvrigny, near Tessy sur vire.

We had some guests staying with us just before Christmas from Alberta.  Apparently they are desparate for just about any trade, skilled or not and are doing promotional fairs in the UK to get people to move there.  He also said that it had been -30 for several days before Christmas.  Minus 3 here is cold enough for me!

Our living room (where the TV is) is on the first floor and the dining room (where we will eat Christmas lunch) is on the ground floor, so two trees are called for.  We got a 2 metre one for downstairs and a one metre one for upstairs, 24€ the two.  Last year we paid 25€ for one!!

Don't feel guilty about it.  The service is for those who need assistance and not like disabled parking in the UK and France where you need stickers that can only be obtained following doctorss' confirmation of disability.  My OH suffers from arthritis like you and needs to fully open the door to get in and out and struggles with stairs (ie she's very slow on them and gets embarrassed about holding other passengers up.  Last time we went on the Mt St Michel I booked for assistance and we were parked right by the lifts with plenty of space to open the car door to it's full extent, although on this particular occasion I think all cars could do this because they weren't particularly busy.  The steward was also very subtle in that he stood in the doorway ushering people up the stairs until we and another couple got to him, when he turned the other way and ushered us into the waiting lift.  It was the first time that we had used this service but would certainly do so again - WITHOUT feeling guilty!

[quote user="Quillan"]Well I have just got back from Boules and this is a hot topic amongst the couple of Brits there and the French members. Apparently this two minute slot on the Politics show has been talked about on our regional TV channel. The outcome of it is that the Quillan Boule club are having a whip to buy some wood for the Brits who can't afford to heat their houses. If anyone wants to donate money (I have given 20 Euros) get in contact with me via a PM and I will tell you how to send it and yes I'm serious.[/quote] You are, of course, joking!  What makes the "needy" Brits of Quillan any more important than those in the rest of France?  Charity begins at home.

Just to clarify the point of confusion over the entitlement of the subject of the show mentioned in the OP.  Although he may not be entitled to his OAP for another 3 years (that makes him 62) the WFA is payable from 60 - so this is why he believes he is entitled to it. Russethouse, you're right in what you say about him saving on a UK TV licence, however, he will be paying for a French one, even if he only watches UK TV, so the saving is not as great as you say.  Where he may be making a huge saving is if he drives a car as he will not be paying any road tax here in France.

You tend to only have a feel for what the actual profits are by virtue of the fact that a B&B in France is run from your own home therefore your own electricity, gas, fuel, water consumption are all lumped in with the business as well as other grey areas - if you're doing table d'hotes as well, in the true sense of the word then you eat with your guests, so again, how much are you eating and how much are they eating?  It all starts to get a bit speculative.

[quote user="Quillan"] Many things now in France use the tax form as proof of residence so even though you won't pay hardly any tax in France (initially) it could be to your advantage to complete and return one. [/quote] It's not really a question of whether it is to your advantage to complete a French tax form - if you live here it's the law - there is no choice. I'd also hesitate to set yourselves up as a full restaurant - cotisations will be very high - they won't take into account that you will only be cooking for the five rooms.  The way table d'hotes work is that the wine is included in the cost of the meal, so as long as you have your licence from the duanes (which is free) you don't need to register as a restaurant.  Of course, you can still go ahead with making sure that you have the kitchen set up professionally but if you, your husband and your son are hoping to make a living out of this then paying cotisations on a restaurant is going to take a large part of your earnings.  A lot of people don't understand when they first move to France that it isn't the income tax that cripples you - a lot never even get to the lowest thresshold - it's the social charges that can be incredibly high - and I wouldn't be surprised if there were two separate lots to pay if you are running chambres d'hotes and classing the table d'hotes as a restaurant.

Shouldn't be a problem, you've got til 31 March to top up.  Last year we filled up in September and the criteria for buying fuel for the allowance was 1 November 2007 - 31 January 2008.  We topped up with 300 euros worth in mid-January and managed to get the 150 euro allowance.  The companies selling the oil are also being hit by the high prices so are usually prepared to let you have a small amount at the 1000 litre plus rate - or at least, they are round here.

Glad to hear it's being confirmed by the ferry companies.  After getting a bit gloomy about next year it then occurred to us that in fact it may boost our business.  If people can't afford US or Far East holidays next year they may decide to do shorter breaks nearer to home.  That's exactly what we did in the early 90s when we couldn't afford a fortnight's holiday - 4 or 5 days in Normandy during off-peak times!  That's how we got to know the area and end up living here. My brother also confirmed last night that he won't be holidaying in England again next year.  He tried it this year but said he paid £80 a night B&B on average in 4 different B&Bs in Cornwall and Dorset and only one came anywhere near a reasonable standard.

[quote user="Pads"]By the time you pay for some one to change over , advertise , pay income tax to the french and england is there much left ?[/quote] Not a lot but we used to find that it was enough to cover the taxe d'habitation, taxe fonciere, electricity abonnements and our own ferry costs to France, so for those with a maison secondaire who didn't normally rent it out, this "small extra income" may be just what they need. Friends of ours rent out 3 gites and get ALL school holidays, not just the summer ones; Christmas as well as June and September, so it can be a lot longer than the 6-8 weeks that some people think.

Another one with a lisp is Vinthent from Strictly Come Dancing.

Surely it's Inspector Barnaby?  I've never heard so many people from other countries in love with a programme since Corrie.

It seems to have disappeared.  What went wrong?  Is this a mistake?

I don't think we'll see him back on the BBC at all.  I think that he will spend these 12 weeks looking for a contract somewhere else - Channel 4 maybe and then offer his resignation having "had time to assess the situation".  The BBC said they had to pay him so much so that he wouldn't go elsewhere so there was obviously interest.  With 4 million + a week tuning into his Friday night show I think another channel will be happy to pick him up and the subsequent viewing figures and he may decide it's safer to cut his losses now for a smaller package, knowing that the likelihood of a renewal at the BBC is looking less likely.  Now that we can get the commercial channels in France I shan't worry too much.  Otherwise I would have said it was a sad loss.

We kept our endowment on our UK mortgage going when we moved to France and got rid of the mortgage because we thought that it would act as a pension. As things stand at the moment we will get £80K less than was originally suggested and at the moment we will get back a couple of grand more than we paid in, so would have been a lot better off just putting that money in the bank each month and earning minimal interest.  It has another 4 years to run, by which time I doubt that we will even get that.  However, if we cash it in now we get a LOT less than we paid in.  They get you all ways.[:@]

Helped Georgina Baillie's no end though I have no doubt.

£1.5million may not be a lot to you but I think I'd miss that!  Still no Producer suspended, demoted, sacked.  I still think that the Producer has something to answer for.  Jonathan Ross was very stupid and misguided to do what he did but this whole thing has been blown out of all proportion.  He brings incredibly high ratings to the BBC in both his TV shows and his radio show, as well as constantly winning awards for his shows - the BBC don't WANT to lose him and I think the punishment more than fits the crime.  What the BBC COULD have done is offered that £1.5million to a charity of Mr Sachs choice but I'm sure they will just withhold it from Mr Ross and keep it in their own coffers. I understand that Miss Baillie is a member of a goth group called the Satanic Sluts but they prefer to be known as the SS.  I wonder how her German/jewish grandfather who had to leave Germany in the 30s feels about that.  Seems like she doesn't think a lot about people's feelings either.

[quote user="woolybanana"]Pity Mr Ross doesnt have the guts to fall on his sword too.[/quote] Difference is, JR earns £6million a year, RB earns £200K.  Perhaps JR has paid him to resign and take the flak?

[quote user="teapot"][quote user="oscar"] There were only two complaints when the programme was aired well over a week ago. Nothing was said about it until the Mail made a big issue about it.  Andrew Sachs presumably picked up his ansaphone messages before the programme was aired - 2 days after the messages were left - and didn't do anything to stop the broadcast.  [/quote] You are wrong, he did contact the beeb and requested it was cut out of the programme. [/quote] Did he?  I haven't heard that reported on any edition of any news programme over the last 3 days and we have News 24 on virtually all day long.  In fact even his grand-daughter in her interview said "WHEN my grand-dad heard about the programme", so he presumably didn't ask BEFORE it went out.  However, if he did ask for it to be cut from the programme, then I think it just adds to the fact that despite R&Bs bad behaviour, the responsibility lies with the producer to edit the programme accordingly.  Perhaps R&B thought it HAD BEEN edited - anyone thought of that?

No you're not alone.  A large part of their job is to control the quality of the programmes.  Why on earth did they even let R&B make FOUR phonecalls in the first place??? [quote user="Renaud"]Ross and Brand always seem so thrilled with themselves, seeing them come a cropper does not sadden me. The problem with the broadcast I suspect was that the production team dare not cross them. --- [/quote] NOT TRUE.  I worked in the department at the BBC for a time where the producer's policy document was being written and presented to all BBC and freelance producers. They know their boundaries, they know the legalities.  They have been equally negligent in this matter and yet nothing has been said about them.  They're also a pretty tough lot and would have the backing of the BBC if they refused to air this programme. Personally I think Ross and Brand were really stupid to do this and I'm a little disappointed in Jonathan Ross for having done so, especially as others have said in that he has his own daughters and didn't choose to retract the prank in the cool clear light of day and before it was broadcast. However, all of this has got totally out of hand: There were only two complaints when the programme was aired well over a week ago. Nothing was said about it until the Mail made a big issue about it.  Andrew Sachs presumably picked up his ansaphone messages before the programme was aired - 2 days after the messages were left - and didn't do anything to stop the broadcast.  His grand-daughter HAS actually slept with Brand, which although doesn't right the wrong, does make it slightly less offensive.  Ross and Brand apologised to Andrew Sachs and Mr Sachs accepted their apologies.  All this happened before even 1000 complaints had been received but with the broadcast being aired more than 3 times an hour all day Monday and Tuesday on BBC24 no wonder enough people eventually heard it to increase the number tenfold.  There are a lot of politics at the BBC and I think this has a lot more to do with certain people wanting Ross out rather than responding to public response.  As a former director of the BBC said this morning, there are 100s of 1000s of people who thoroughly enjoy Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and by suspending or sacking him you are also depriving those people of a very popular TV programme.  In fact I feel like complaining about BBC24 - I watch it to get NEWS, and being the BBC I hope to get serious news, not celebrity drivel.  There are many far more important issues that could be discussed and covered than this - for example, Did the Americans launch an air attack in Syria and kill women and children or is this hype?  What were Gordon and Sarky discussing in Paris?  And why the hell was Gordon Brown making comment on Ross and Brand - he has much more important matters to deal with. All of these programmes go out late at night and the standard and style of their comedy is well known.  If you don't like it DON'T WATCH IT.  My old dad thinks the Ross is crude and common and has only ever listened to one of his programmes.  He has plenty of other choice and even he yesterday said that much too much is being made of this.