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English taking advantage!


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Clair started a thread yesterday in the "French Culture" section  regarding a program last night on FR3, I thought I would post it here as well. I only caught part of it and saw a small segment on the English in Dordogne claiming benefits but living in lovely properties and receiving rental income. We don't run gites etc.. but I did feel very uncomfortable watching the program. I do hope we won't see any backlash from this sort of thing [:(]. Did anyone see it?

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No I didn't see it, but if people earn their living in France from rental income and pay their taxes, then they should get benefits if they are entitled to them whether English or not.

Or did the program aim to prove that something untoward was going on?

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It (briefly) showed a Brit who though he had a website for his luxury gite in the Dordogne was still claiming , and been given, both RMI and free health cover.

Though he had been rumbled, and pursued by the authorities, when FR3  sent a potential customer with a hidden camera, he was quite happy to show what was available and the price per week. He still has his website.

When challenged by the reporter the very next day he said that he was entitled to the RMI as he no longer rented out the property.

However the Brit element was a very small part of the programme. It was also small beer compared to the Pakistani accountant who admitted selling "packs" of false papers, including, payslips and redundancy notices which had enabled thousands to claim unemployment pay. He said that were similar networks in the Turkish, Maroc, and East European communities. he didn't mention any UK competition so perhaps there is a business opportunity for one of us.........

 

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A number of people were arrested a while back in the Dordogne for claiming a benefit - well being given it as their annual income - because they were renting, not declaring their income and then getting RMI and health benefits because their declared income was so low in the appropriate tax year - while they were living in nice houses etc etc and effectively working on the black.

I know of one guy locally who earned a good amount of money last year on the black (which he quite happily told people about) and then declared a seriously low income on his tax return for his failing gite business and voila, gets the benefit this year as he and his wife were below the financial threshold last year.

Makes my blood boil .............. and would I report him, probably not .........

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[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"]

I know of one guy locally who earned a good amount of money last year on the black (which he quite happily told people about) and then declared a seriously low income on his tax return for his failing gite business and voila, gets the benefit this year as he and his wife were below the financial threshold last year.

Makes my blood boil .............. and would I report him, probably not .........

[/quote]

I know french people in my village who have also earned money on the Black (on a weekly basis) and have obviously submitted a  low tax retrun.........how do I know this, He and his wife work 6 days per week, growing and selling their own fruit in season and selling books on the markets all year round,their daughter is at the same Point Jeunes as my daughter and pays next to nothing for the trips out as their revenue fiscal is lower than ours. I am uemployed and claim no benefit and Other half works as and when he pleases , about 4 months in the total year. Oh they have a car a nd 2 vans and enjoy skiing each winter and 10 days in Maroc in the Autumn holls. 

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In the short time I have been using this forum, this topic appears on an almost monthly basis and then descends  all too often into quite a vicious row between those who thinks its right to inform the authorities and those who don't. 

If this is such a common occurence and people are getting away with it, then I can see that in some areas this will lead to bad feeling. The option is simple either tell or don't, but IMHO I think 'career' black workers don't deserve any loyalty from people they don't know especially if it reflects badly or make life more difficult for legitimate workers of any nationality.

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  • 3 months later...
Just joined this forum and for the second time been taken by an English artisan living in France doing it on the Black Market, living out of the country is not easy when you need work doing on your French house. Big promises and lots of telephoning, deposits handed over and when you arrive nothings been done , big excuses or left the region. These so called registered artisans are no good for the French who do a good job and don,t screw you.
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  • 1 month later...
Fear not, when the next Prez is elected we might just be in a situation where even registered people don't have to do tons of work on the black and could - conceivably - actually employ somebody when business starts to pick up a bit!

The RMI by the way is so pifflingly low that only a fool would risk getting caught to supplement an already  sufficient income.

We're coming off it now, but the reality is that you get around 630 euros a month (for a family of three) and your housing benefit is around 300 euros. Do the maths.

I like the fact that Brits are getting caught doing this, and I bet they read the Mail and whinge on about immigrants in the UK too. [:D]

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  • 3 months later...
Yes.........Three members of the  Consabulary to ask if my holiday home was connected to an  agent re letting and who posessed keys apart from me ! ........last month .....not long after Sarky got the keys to his new place ......I dont rent out the house .....wonder what they would have done if I did ?
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