tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post575490262120815429..comments2023-04-26T09:07:28.917+02:00Comments on Pensioners Debout! Stand up!: How do the British Pensioners live in France?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06050379982381080678noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-40726902169811040342013-11-14T14:22:22.521+01:002013-11-14T14:22:22.521+01:00I have just written to my Oxford MP Nicola Blackwo...I have just written to my Oxford MP Nicola Blackwood, in order to protest at the discriminatory stance of the Conservatives against UK expatriates living in other EU countries. All expats should get themselves on the Overseas Register for the 15 years in which they are currently entitle to vote, in order to reflect their displeasure with this government's policies in the only way that counts i.e. the vote. My email letter is as follows:<br />Nicola Blackwood MP<br /><br />Dear Ms Blackwood,<br /><br />We have corresponded before. I remain one of your constituents in Oxford, as I am entitled to remain on the UK Electoral register for 15 years, even though we live in France. So I continue to have a constituency voice and will use it by voting (I have a proxy for this purpose).<br /><br />Last time I wrote to you I complained that expatriates should potentially lose the vote after 15 years. You sent to me a reply written by the Minister for the Cabinet office, whose answer was that after this period someone was assumed to have no further connection with the UK, and should become a national of the other country if they wanted to vote. This is patently nonsense: I lived and worked in the UK for 35 years, I continue to draw all my pension and property income from the UK, so am fundamentally affected by UK political and economic fortunes. Besides which I remain culturally a UK citizen, and have no intention of ever changing my nationality, even if this means that I lose the right to vote.<br />I think it would be more helpful if the Conservative Party adopted a stance which was more favourable to UK expatriates. A vast majority (like myself) are instinctively conservative, have the vote but are not likely to vote for a Conservative candidate while you continue to adopt and pursue policies so overtly discriminatory as regards UK expatriates. After a lifetime of work in the UK we are entitled to exercise our "freedom of movement" within the EU by living in another EU country, and should not be penalised by your Party in power.<br />I quote another example of your hostile positioning: Iain Duncan Smith is quoted today referring to a "ridiculous" ruling by the European Court of Justice under which winter fuel payments continue to be made to people living across Europe. He appears to be proud that he is now changing regulation in order no longer to make such payments to people in EEA countries "with an average winter temperature higher than the warmest part of the UK". This is patently a "dishonest" point of view. People in France are to be excluded, including myself (despite the fact that I paid my dues for 35 years in the UK), simply because France (for its own political reasons) includes tropical Departments outside Metropolitan France (treated as mainland France) such as Reunion, Martinique, Guadelope, and Guyana (and this boosts "average" temperatures)! But, generally, this is not where the UK expatriate community lives in France, and we experience temperatures comparable to and, indeed, colder than the UK.<br />The Conservatives appear to have lost support in the North of England, but they have potentially 600,000 British expatriates in France to whom they could choose to continue to appeal, if they simply ceased this blatant discrimination. At the moment, I regret you will have lost my vote in the next general election.<br />Yours sincerely.<br /><br /><br />Peter Elliott<br />P Elliotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09575700995004348882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-7115524756214911942012-07-18T08:23:08.226+02:002012-07-18T08:23:08.226+02:00This blog is not a forum - I suggest that you pos...This blog is not a forum - I suggest that you post such a request on Survive France Network. http://www.survivefrance.com/<br />However, you can still receive both DLA and CA paid from the UK in France. Your husband and yourself would probably get 100% support for medication if you have little income. If your income is above a threshold he would get 100% medical support only for a condition of listed 'long duration' - e.g cancer, heart disease etc. You yourself are not of retirement age which affects medical cover support from the UK. The matter is complicated. Send an email for more information.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06050379982381080678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-89235432670181156032012-07-17T23:07:18.953+02:002012-07-17T23:07:18.953+02:00please can anyone help my husband and i want to se...please can anyone help my husband and i want to sell our house and move to France.Heis 65 and disabled he gets D L A at high rate plus pension i get carers allowance plus a income support top up,i am 56 we have no savings whatsoever.does anybody know if we would be making the right decision bearing in mind my husband has to have regular medication yours hopeful LynAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-36460715735557863572012-04-09T11:28:46.099+02:002012-04-09T11:28:46.099+02:00Response to 'harpe le blues'.
The Britons...Response to 'harpe le blues'.<br />The Britons Abroad are indeed 'left out in the sun'.<br />We should have Representation in Parliament as the French expatriate has in the National Assembly. Look at the items on this blog on this issue. Also make your feelings known through. www.votes-for-expat-brits.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06050379982381080678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-30916188641977130092012-04-09T10:41:10.736+02:002012-04-09T10:41:10.736+02:00It is very unlikely that either the UK or the Fren...It is very unlikely that either the UK or the French governments will have the will to assist British expates, or even try to correct the many inconsistencies that exist.<br />I'm afraid we are left, out in the sun, to fend for ourselves and that requires that we become resourceful. We now make many of our purchases in the UK using online sites such as Amazon or Ebay - and even take shopping trips into cheaper Spain.<br /><br />For those that are interested my wife has found an excellent online clothing shop at : http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/all_kitted_out/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3984<br /><br />Every saving helps and its amazing what you can find or invent when you need to.harpe le blueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02242703137772688584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-91317392324485611222012-04-03T09:58:55.549+02:002012-04-03T09:58:55.549+02:00Thanks Debout for your comments. You do, in fact, ...Thanks Debout for your comments. You do, in fact, have to report the existence of the pension and complete a double taxation document in both english and spanish - both tax authorities are then aware of your situation. But, yes, the Spanish taxman is not interested in how much! <br />At 9490gbp tax free in the UK this means that my wife does well whereas I would be better off taxed in the UK...<br />cross border tax is a 'buggers muddle' - good luck in your campaign.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-45263160848701441482012-04-02T09:30:52.105+02:002012-04-02T09:30:52.105+02:00Reply to anonymous- Spain is different from Franc...Reply to anonymous- Spain is different from France in this.<br />1. In Spain you are not required to declare your teachers pension taxed in the UK to the Spanish authorities. In France you are so required. In Spain therefore your apparent income appears less than it actually is.<br />2. Rebates on the tax due which all French people can obtain by employing 'home-helps' are not available to the person who pays tax to the UK.<br />3. Personally I have paid about £900/year more in tax to the UK than if my teacher's pension were solely taxed in France.<br />There is not a level playing field across Europe for the British expatriate for has to pay tax to the UK.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06050379982381080678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-77392696434154602682012-04-02T09:15:00.471+02:002012-04-02T09:15:00.471+02:00I am not fully up on the french system but as an e...I am not fully up on the french system but as an expat spanish resident I see the taxation of state pensions at source as an advantage. My wife was a teacher - her teachers pension is taxed after a generous tax free element for an over 65. Her old age pension and other income is taxed in Spain after another personal allowance - net she is better off by about €2000 a year. <br />I agree rules on things like winter fuel allowance are daft - we don't get it but our neighbours do - simply because we vam here before we were 60!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180510102149409012.post-85078465218552970352012-03-31T17:45:55.769+02:002012-03-31T17:45:55.769+02:00An 83 year old, retired for 20 years in St Cyprien...An 83 year old, retired for 20 years in St Cyprien, PO, with wife, Equitable loser, EMAG member. As David Cameron proclaims he will reduce the excessive numbers of MP's, why not put all our pressure on the UK copying the new French Expat representation system, replacing 11 of our existing MP's by 11 to cover Worldwide British Expats? Graham & Valerie Neal.Email:<br />grahamneal6@gmail.comOCTAGENARION Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778843550052521328noreply@blogger.com