Megan le Fey Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Hi,I wonder if any of you can advise me of the best way to pay our French income tax from the UK, where we now live permanently. I had phoned my local Centre des finances publiques back in September who said that our return had been processed etc and that there was nothing to pay so, that being our last probable bill, I closed the French bank account. Now I have just received a bill for 76 Euros and so far the various organisations I have tried have bottom limits for foreign currancy payments, and, bearing in mind the small amount rather large commissions. I had hoped that I could simply buy a Euro money order at the post office but seems not. I would be grateful for any ideas please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Can't you just send it from your English bank by transfer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan le Fey Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Thank you Norman, but not without the other bank a/c details and so far, I haven't had a reply to my email requesting them. If the details are on the Avis d'imposition I am not recognising them for what they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 There should be an email address on the Avis.Try emailing asking about how to pay either by transfer or online.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 You should be able to access your own 'space' on the Impots site www.impots.gouv.fr by quoting your Numero Fiscal, Teledeclareant No and your latest RFR. You'll be able to see your €76 liability.From there, as regards paying it, don't know!! The reason for that is that I've had no liability for the last two years, so haven't had to do it. [:)]However, there is a way of loading up your bank details so that a payment or credit can be made. Presumably the system doesn't care if it's a UK clearing bank.If all that fails and / or is too tiresome, I'd give them a ring again (I'm sure that your French is good enough from the time that you lived over here.) You never know, they might well just write off the debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 That,s a coincidence Megan.We too have moved back to England during 2010 and this week received a French tax bill for the exact same amount (76 euros).We too tried to get Moneycorp to pay it but were told that 250euros (or £, I'm not sure which) was the minimum they will deal with.Lucky for us, someone actually deposited money in our old, empty and about-to-be closed, French bank account this week - totally unexpected but perfect timing as it happens - so we can just send the Impots people a cheque.Not sure what is the best thing for you to do.Maybe if you know someone who has a French bank account or who will be visiting France they could pay the bill for you. Then you just have to find a way of repaying them in sterling.Have a feeling that there will be exorbitant and out of proportion charges for your UK bank to send the money for you.Good luck. Would be interested to hear how you resolve this.ps OH's advice is to ignore the bill !!! Not a good idea I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Have you tried asking your bank for a cashier's cheque, in Euros, made out to Trésor Public?Edit: your UK bank.Edit: And send it with the TIP attached to your Avis, without signing, stapling, or glueing it, as reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Assuming you mean bankers draft cheque then a quick check with a leading bank say 20 pounds fee - then add on an exchange rate for the transaction and you could almost book a RA return to pay in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 [quote user="andyh4"]Assuming you mean bankers draft cheque then a quick check with a leading bank say 20 pounds fee - then add on an exchange rate for the transaction and you could almost book a RA return to pay in person.[/quote]Most amusing [Www]FYI http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-Cashiers-Cheques?&id=1132310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 [quote user="Megan le Fey"] I would be grateful for any ideas please. [/quote]As a SEPA transfer of £ arriving in € from my UK bank to an account in France costs £9, then perhaps this might be a possibility. You will need to know the appropriate IBAN numbers for the destination account, but the central impôts office for your area should be able to give you that info or so I would have thought. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 [quote user="nomoss"][quote user="andyh4"]Assuming you mean bankers draft cheque then a quick check with a leading bank say 20 pounds fee - then add on an exchange rate for the transaction and you could almost book a RA return to pay in person.[/quote]Most amusing [Www]FYI http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-Cashiers-Cheques?&id=1132310[/quote] YepIn English rather than American - a bankers draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 [quote user="andyh4"][quote user="nomoss"] [quote user="andyh4"]Assuming you mean bankers draft cheque then a quick check with a leading bank say 20 pounds fee - then add on an exchange rate for the transaction and you could almost book a RA return to pay in person.[/quote]Most amusing [Www]FYI http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-Cashiers-Cheques?&id=1132310[/quote] YepIn English rather than American - a bankers draft.[/quote]I've never called it anything else. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/cashier-s-cheque Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Guess those Cambridge guys have got a lot to teach us then.Lloyds TSB and Barclay turned up zilch for Cashiers cheque but hit the money both times on Bankers draft.Guess the money men don't use Business English as described in Cambridge. Or maybe it is Cambridge Mas. Anyway we agree on what it is even if we don't on what it's call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan le Fey Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Thanks everyone, it's now done (I hope[8-)]). I got a reply from my email requesting banking details giving the IBAN number & the BIC. My UK bank was to cost me £9.50 to do the transfer online and £19.50 to do it by telephone banking. Being not exactly mean but certainly careful, I chose to do it online but I gave up after several hours of frustrating hitches. Each time I pressed the final button, I got a message stating "there is a problem" along with a number which presumably indicated the nature of the problem. I then had to start again inputting the recipient info. etc. all of it from scratch. I phoned telephone banking and asked what the problem number related to and they couldn't tell me so I gave in and said that I would pay the darned £19.50 just to get the job done and finished with. The nice young advisor said that because of my problems with their website, they would do the transfer by telephone for the online price and then.............. he said that they would also give me an additional £10 to make up for my frustration with the website so they debited my a/c with £20 and did the transfer. So........... not only was the transfer free but I was 50p into pocket on the deal.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Brilliant! Incidentally, we still have quite a few Lloyd's Eurocheques - I wonder if they still work?Actually, I'm sure they will work, but it's a question of what the banks at each end will charge.I bought a bicycle in France for my son while travelling down through the canals some years ago. The shop owner wouldn't accept my Lloyds-issued Amex card (this was before Access, etc), but insisted that a personal UK cheque with FF written in place of £ was perfectly acceptable. The bank paid it with a small surcharge, but my manager asked me please, not to do it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 [quote user="Megan le Fey"]Thanks everyone, it's now done ... So ........... not only was the transfer free but I was 50p into pocket on the deal.[:D][/quote]Such superb news. Perseverance pays ! Well done.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Shows that they answer emails when you want to pay them something [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I learnt recently on another forum that there is a French tresorie in London and you if you use the exhange rate of the day which they publish and send them a cheque in pounds to the equivalent amount made out to "The French government" together with the tear off slip it will be paid without any transfer charges,(they were talking about taxes foncieres etc but it can be for any bill payable at the tresorie publique.I have tried searching but could not find the thread again, it was only posted in the last week, i wish that I had bookmarked the website linked to someone else may have done hopefully.It would seem to be the perfect solution for 2nd home owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 [quote user="Chancer"]I have tried searching but could not find the thread again, it was only posted in the last week, i wish that I had bookmarked the website linked to someone else may have done hopefully.[/quote]Is this it ?Paying french tax bill from the UKSeems a veritable no-brainer for people in a similar position in the UK.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Thats it!I tried searching on French government but didnt find it, perhaps because it was in upper case in the posting.I am very tempted to try this for my taxe d'habitation bill, I havnt written a cheque for many years and my current cheque book dates back to the early 90's!!!!The cost of a stamp even from France will be less than a 2% surcharge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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