Southern Times

The Failing French Education System

Rob — 2008-03-25T06:06:38Z

The French view of their education system as one of the best in the world is hardly reflected by their leading establishments' low rankings in the world.

In the top 100 world universities or further education establishments, France manages just two entries at 26th and 28th, the ENS and the Ecole Polytechnique.

The ENS and the Ecole Polytechnique have a combined annual intake of 694 students. They are 'Grand Ecoles' with all the snoberry and elitism that one associates with the finishing schools of the last century.

The top ten being divided at 6 to the US and 4 to the UK.

Looking at individual disciplines, they fare a touch better

In technology one of their grand ecoles manages 34th just after the Indian Bombay Institute of technology and is the only French representative in the top 50.

In Arts and Humanities, the Sorbonne and the ENS are their only 2 representatives in the top 50.with the Sorbonne leading the way at 28th.

In Life Sciences & Biomedicine, the University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg is the only French representative, scraping in at 48th.

In Natural Sciences France manages three entries in the top 50 with the ENS leading the way at 20th.

In Social Sciences France draws a blank, with no establishments in the world top 50.

If we become more local and look at just the European top 50 establishments, France fares a little better;

The ENS comes in at 7th just behind Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, Edingburgh and King's College London.

The Ecole Polytechnique comes in at 8th, just in front of Manchester, Bristol and Zurich.

But that is it. 2/50 for France, one behind little Belgium, compared to 8 out of the top 10 or 23/50 for the UK, Germany has 4/50, Netherlands 6/50.

So when looking at further education choices, what should one do for the best?

The ENS ( Ecole Normale SupÃ©rieure, PARIS) is France's flagship at 26th in the world rankings and 7th in Europe. This is a 'Grand Ecole', basically teaching would be teachers and professors.

To get your child there, he or she must first pass the BAC and obtain, at least, a mention. then get a place at a 'Preppa' (Ecole Preparatoire) that prepares for the ENS.

There is usually a cull of about 30% of the students at the end of their first year at Preppa and of the remaining students who take the 'competition' for a place at ENS, only 6%, that is a grand global total of 194 pupils each year, win a place at the ENS.

According to statistics, any other further education in France is second rate and mediocre. In a world where the European countries have and are developing equivalencies of qualifications, degrees etc foreign travel would not only broaden your child's mind but also equip him with better qualifications for the future.

So, why is the French education system so bad?

At the top, it is an anachronistic elitist system 194 students admitted by ENS each year, 500 by l'Ecole Polytechnique.

The principle of a place at a university (as opposed to the Grand Ecoles) for all who pass the BAC leads to an absurd situation with a unwieldy masss of first year input - a lot of the first year students at Montpellier have to sit outside their lecture rooms and try to listen to lectures from steps stairs and corridors, unless they get there very early to bag the seats that are inside.

This high input means that the first year is a culling operation and of little or no educational benefit.

From a low level, children are encouraged to learn by rote, the correct answers are what the teacher has said or more often, has handed out on photocopied sheets, and not that which is correct - our children have learnt this lesson, and much to our horror, will often deliberately repeat, in homework and texts, incorrect English to get marks from teachers who have a small inaccurate but fixed grasp of the language.

Original thought is discouraged at all levels, which probably explains why Cambridge, UK can boast more Nobel prizes than the whole of France.

I am amazed by the way French literature is taught. The pupils do not read and are not asked to read the books, but are encouraged to learn by rote the critiques gathered by their teachers about those books. This runs from the lowest level to the very top.

Recently on French television a famous French professor of literature, from one of the Grand Ecoles, stated that he had given courses of lectures on James Joyce and 'Ulysses' but had never read 'Ulysses' - basing his courses on crib sheets and the perceptions of others. Worse, this was not a shame faced admission, he saw nothing wrong with this form of teaching.

I will be writing more on the different stages of French schooling as seen through the experience of our children.

Languedoc Real Estate and Property Agents

A correspondent — 2008-03-01T07:57:32Z

Im starting with Languedoc real estate agents in Pezenas and will add towns as i go....

Pezenas Real Estate Agents

A P I Agence Pezenas Immobilier - 3 Avenue Aristide Briand 04 67 90 72 08
Good English spoken

Aami - 29 Cours Jean Jaures 04 67 98 00 02

Abeilhan immobilier 8 av Mar Leclerc 08 77 80 42 63

Action Immobiliere Groupe - 18 Cours Jean Jaures 04 67 09 44 05

Agence Cabinet Occitan - 4 Pl De La Republique 04 67 98 84 79

Agence Guy Olivier - 57 Cours Jean Jaures 04 67 98 37 77
Good English spoken

Agence Moliere - 15 Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau

Aht Immobilier - 3 Place Du 14 Juillet

Alliance Immobilier - 15 Rue Chevaliers St Jean

Amande Immo 18 r Conti 04 67 31 56 55

Azur Immo - 8 Avenue Du Marechal Leclerc

Carrefour Immobilier 4 pl Etats du Languedoc 04 67 09 41 92

Centragence - 3 Place Du 14 Juillet 04 67 98 12 67

Century 21 Confiance Immo rte Agde rd-pt de la Paix 04 67 00 21 21

Fabre Immobilier - 10 Place de la Republique 04 67 98 38 10

Guienne Immobilier - 10 R Anatole France Agence 04 67 98 05 26

Honig Agence ImmobiliÃ¨re 3 r Four de la Ville 04 67 09 48 44

Guy Hoquet L'Immobilier 21 cours Jean JaurÃ¨s 04 67 09 30 14

Immolympic - 23 R Conti

Lcf Immo - 13, avenue Aristide Briand 04 67 90 31 43

Les Volets Bleus - 4 R Chevaliers St Jean

Objectif Immo 8 av MarÃ©chal Leclerc 04 67 76 60 03

Prf - 18 Cours Jean Jaures

Profima - 8 Pl Frederic Mistral

Proimmobilier - 30 Avenue Aristide Briand

Promo Octon - 3 Place Du 14 Juillet

Sa Cabinet Occitan - 4,6, place Ledru Rollin

Sci Castelsec - 3 Chemin du Petit Larzac

Sm Carrefour Immobilier - 4 Pl Des Etats Du Languedoc

Soave Immobilier 2 pl RÃ©publique 04 67 00 80 96

Sudhouse - 29 rue Conti 04 67 09 07 47
Good English spoken

Transagri 8 pl FrÃ©dÃ©ric Mistral 04 67 98 36 36

Useful Herault Contact Nos

A correspondent — 2005-09-19T07:44:16Z

Here we will list English speaking doctors, vets etc together with other usefull services in the Herault region.

Vets

A young and charming English vet works in this practice.

Rouquette Alain Simon Jean-Pascal Stephan Guy Aschero Christophe (SCP de vÃ©tÃ©rinaires)
Le Souc Zone Industrielle 34800 CLERMONT L'HERAULT
Tel 04 67 96 37 20
fax 04 67 96 89 22

One of the vets in this practice speaks some English

AschÃ©ro Simon Rouquette StÃ©phan (SCP de VÃ©tÃ©rinaires)
zac Rodettes 34120 PEZENAS
Tel 04 67 90 79 29
fax 04 67 98 97 38

Doctors

English and German speaking Doctor

Notaires

Michel speaks limited English, but has an assistant who speaks very good English.

Mazet Michel 28 cours Jean JaurÃ¨s 34120 PEZENAS
Tel 04 67 98 10 29

This is a father and son practice and the son speaks good English.

Peitavy Alain 1 rte Pouzolles 34320 GABIAN
Tel 04 67 24 65 16
fax 04 67 24 77 88

Well versed in the law and in local history, has a young assistant who speaks very good English

Bancal Didier 51 av Cassan 34320 ROUJAN
Tel 04 67 24 63 53

Builders

John Platings Tourbes 0467094383

An English builder who was a builder in England before emigrating some 17 years ago. has built up a reputation for professionalism and is the best renovation (stones and wood) builder in the area.

Justinline Roujan 04 67 24 76 13

English builder fully registered in France.

Gary Boxall Gabian 0686711961

English plumber who's Irish lady does electrics

Heraudio Roujan Electrics and Satellite TV 04.67.24.79.29

The place to go for any electrics, from full rewires down, sky etc.

More builders to come, just filling in from memory. If you know an English speaking builder registered in France that you can, reccommend, contact us and we will add their details.

Other Useful Nos

Fire Brigade 18

Police Secours/Gendarmerie 17

SAMU (Emergency Medical) 15

EDF Electricity enquiries, bills etc 0 810 00 34 34
EDF also has a site www.edf.fr where you can create your member's space, pay on line etc.

France Telecom 1014
France Telecom also has a site, http://francetelecom.fr/fr/, where you can create your 'espace client', order services, see bills and pay online.

French Architectural Salvage Supply

Rob — 2005-09-11T04:43:54Z

If, like so many of us, you love stone and original architectural details from fireplaces through floors to panelling and door furniture, you are in the right place.

Sylvie, of Gabian, can supply and,if asked, have fitted all sorts of fine antique French objects of architectural salvage. Recently she has been helping refit a noble dwelling in Provence.
As pictures speak louder than words, here are some samples of her stock. Bear in mind that she has just acquired period and original ^panelling from a chateau, she has fireplaces etc, we are just showing some of the smaller brighter pieces!


Door Knockers: All sorts of antique french door furniture.


Cherubs


Character Piece


Brazen Lady


Ironwork: For doors, wardrobes etc.


Stair Post Decorations: Just a few of the wide range of typical French pieces to be found on the first post of the handrail at thebottom of a staircase.


Elegance: A top of post detail

Mail or contact me if you want to be put in touch with Sylvie, or visit Gabian on a Wednesday morning and she is often to be found in the square selling some 'brocante' pieces.

Renovating a House in France

A correspondent — 2005-04-26T11:08:06Z

Finding the right tradesman to fix your roof, rewire your electrical installation, replumb the leaden depths of an old fashioned water system, is not easy. Getting it wrong can be expensive and depressing.

Before looking at the finer points of choosing and finding builders and tradesmen let us note some general rules to bear in mind.

1. As an owner you can be heavily fined for employing 'black' labour, that is unregistered, cash or nothing labour.

2. Changes in the French laws means that no longer are you allowed to count three times the sum of your materials bills against any capital gains when your house is sold. Only bills from tradesmen and companies registered in France are allowed.

3. There are French laws coming in to effect, that will mean on the sale of your property not only will you need to supply termite, lead and asbestos certificates, but also a certificate for your electrical installation.

4. Looking on the black side, if your electrical installation does not conform to French regulations, your public liabilty and house insurance will not pay out on any disasters(fires, deaths etc) which have an electrical origin.

5. Most new build work carries statutory guarantees, these enhance resale value and your security of mind.

(My thanks to Francois and Marie of Heraudio ,Click here to visit the Heraudio website, our English speaking electrical team from Roujan, 34, for pointing no.4 out to me.)

The Languedoc is the fastest exploding region of France ,this has nothing to do with electrics!!,the population is growing through migration from other French regions and immigration from the Northern European nations. This means that good tradesmen are very much in demand,and while you might like your building works to be carried out tomorrow, most of the better tradesmen have months of work lined up and you will, in the long term, do better by being patient.

As in all countries when there is a building boom, some builders try to shorten queues and cull their clients by upping prices, for major works it is a good idea to look at at least two if not three 'devis'.

We are going to build up a directory, Here, of tried and trusted Languedoc tradesmen and building companies with a bias towards those where there is at least one passable English speaker.
Any recommendations that you can make please insert there or add to the bottom of this article as a comment.

Guidelines provided by The French Property Company Ltd.

Setting French Property Leasebacks and Investments Against Tax

Rob — 2005-03-17T02:52:51Z

The French government has a very simple way of dealing with the property related predictions of the French statistics office(INSEE).

INSEE predicts a growing demand for and shortage of housing units for long term rentals, student accommodation, 'medicalised' retirement homes, retirement homes and short term accommodation for tourists and business travellers.

So what does the French government do? It gives huge and hearty tax incentives and breaks to those who would invest in supplying this demand. 'Leasebacks' are the ones you've probably read about, because these work for foreigners as well - Brits, Americans etc -, they are usually tourist accommodation units in Paris, Languedoc, Provence, Dordogne or the ski areas.

But these types of developments, sold on the LMNP (Location MeublÃ© Non Professionel - Non Professional Furnished Rental) basis are just the tip of the tax effective property investment French mountain.

Remember anyone officialy resident in France must pay tax in France. You can pay some of your tax in the UK if you want to, but if you are resident in France, you must make a declaration in France and pay your taxes in France as well. This means that if the tax you have paid in the UK is lower than you would have had to pay in France, you still have to pay the difference to the French government. Hence if you can minimise your tax in France, why not just declare and pay in France?

Here's a list of some of the different forms of tax effective property investment.

De Robien
Up to 45,000 â‚¬ of tax savings spread over 15 years,for a purchase of 160,300 â‚¬, you would save 5,762.50 â‚¬ the first 5 years and 1,759 â‚¬ pa for the following 10 years. assuming that you have a TMI of 48.09 %.

Often have 9 years garanteed rental returns.
Good rates of rents
No maximum income qualifications for tenants.
Possibility of renting to your children or grandparents.
Simple resale after 16 years, no capital gains, empty property.
Brought in to deal with the lack of long term unfurnished rental stock. This gives huge tax incentives if you purchase something intended for long term rentals. The maximum rental levels are fixed depending on the geographic zone that the property is in. If you have children this has recently become more interesting because your tenants for part of the minimum 9 year period can be members of your family. On some schemes 100+% interest only loans are available for french residents. Visit The French Property Company's site they have a De Robien development on their listings and on enquiry can fully explain how this type of property investment works.

Malraux -
All works of renovation are deductible from net taxable income.
All expenses, taxe fonciere,loan interests can be set against rental incomes.
Automatic allownce of 14% on the rentals.

Owe a lot of tax? This is for you. This works on renovating old historic buildings, Chateaux etc. again for details contact The French Property Company's site

ZRR, LOI DEMESSINE, Residence de Tourisme
All fall into the group of products that have been deemed 'leasebacks'. With all of these there is the possibility of getting the TVA, 19.6Â¨% charged on all new build, back from the state, often garanteed rental returns often mixed with varying amounts of owner occupation.

Student accommodation, medicalised accommodation etc. is included in this bracket.
These can generally be bought on a LMP (Location MeublÃ© Professionel - Professional Furnished Rentals) or a LMNP (Location MeublÃ© Non Professionel - Non Professional Furnished Rentals). For non French tax payers the LMNP basis is best, for French tax payers there are bigger advantages in buying on an LMP basis.
The French Property Company has a wide range of these products on offer ranging from luxury ski chalets down to Provencal beach huts, check them out here The French Property Company's site.

By Rob Thorne of The French Property Company

Top ten tips for moving to France

Helena Frith Powell — 2004-12-05T08:53:47Z

When I moved to France I spoke no French, knew little about the county I was moving to and had no guarantee of an income. Looking back on it, I must have been deranged. Any number of things could have gone horribly wrong. After four years here I decided to write the sort of book I wish I had read before we moved out.

A book with lots of practical information about moving to France and living here, but also stories that make it less of a chore to read. I wanted to write something that was accessible and informative, which would help people to avoid the mistakes I made. Would I do it differently if I did it again? You bet. Here are ten top tips for a successful move:

1. Accessibility
If you are not going to move to France full time you need to think seriously about how you are going to get backwards and forwards, as well as how your tenants are going to get to your house if you're thinking of letting it out. Beware of buying a property close to a small airport where only one discount airline operates. What happens if it goes bust? Try to find somewhere with several options. The ideal is a mixture of a small airport, the TGV and an international airport not more than an hour's drive away. Being in the middle of nowhere is all very lovely, but not when it's a fifteen hour car journey from London.

2. Visit the Mairie
Before you buy, go the local mayor's office and ask questions about the property and surrounding area. You do not want to arrive with all your belongings three months later to find a wind farm in your back garden. There will be plans of the house and countryside around which will show if the land is constructible or not and the mayor's office will also be aware of any major projects in the pipeline. They are not, however, under any legal obligation to tell you, so you may want to ask around as well. In the countryside, wind farms and rubbish dumps (dÃ©chetterie) are the main worries, along with major roads and airports of course.

3. Paperwork
Photocopy every bit of official-looking paper you have at least ten times before you move. Get copies of your birth certificate with your parents on it as well (I am not joking). Get marriage certificates, national health cards and birth certificates for you and your children translated by an officially approved translator (you can get a list from the French consulate). I found in my struggle to get onto the French system that shoving bits of stamped and official looking paper under people's noses worked better than anything else.

4. Education
You will need to decide before you move whether you want your children to go into the French or the international system. The French system is very academic and extremely tough for children who have no French to integrate into. Teachers I have spoken to say it takes about three terms for a child of around 8 with no French to acclimatise. The upside is that the educational levels are high, discipline is generally speaking excellent and it is free. If you are going to go for the state system then check out the school in your area before you decide to buy. According to a French teacher friend of mine, you should avoid those in the ZEPs (zone d'Ã©ducation prioritaire). They are usually in suburbs and have a lot of problem children. The French 'private' sector is also an option. The French private schools are state subsidised and great value. They tend to be religious schools and the main difference is that the teachers don't go on strike as much as the state schools. There are also around 30 international schools in France, some of which offer an English curriculum. These are expensive; usually around â‚¬10,000 in fees and â‚¬6,000 on top of that if you want your children to board or live with host families.

5. Location
By this I don't just mean where in the France, I mean the position of the house as well. If you love the evening sun and go to sleep imagining you and your friends enjoying a glass of wine on the terrace bathed in balmy evening sunlight, then make sure the terrace gets the evening sun. Also look carefully at the position of the pool (or proposed pool). Does that get the sun all day long?

6. What will you do?
Do not assume that because you have a successful career back home, you will be able to replicate it in France. In most instances your UK qualifications will not be valid, even if you speak fluent French and have a job, such as teaching, that is transferable. If you want to set up your own business, you have the French bureaucracy to deal with and remember that growth will be limited due to the punishing social charges here. If you employ anyone you will pay half their salary again in social security contributions and tax. If you have come out to semi-retire and live off the income of a gite then you need to be sure you have a good business plan. There are now five gites for every person looking. If as a couple you were both used to working full time you might find it a bit of a shock seeing so much of each other. "I am so fed up with him hanging around the house, I am trying to encourage him to build a garden shed," writes a reader who has moved to Limousin with her husband, a former London cabbie.

7. Culture and Lifestyle
If you are moving from Islington to deepest Mayenne, be realistic. How will you cope with having to drive for 40 minutes to the supermarket? There is no equivalent of Upper Street. Eating out will be followed by a long drive home. Are you happy to watch George Clooney in French? In the provinces they dub everything. Maybe you should consider living at least close to a reasonably cosmopolitan city? People tend to get carried away by the dream of living in splendid isolation, but don't realise how terrifyingly lonely it can be. Especially if the locals are not friendly. Pick somewhere that is used to foreigners, such as Provence.

8. Legal Advice
When we bought our house here we used the same lawyer as the vendors. This is common practice but is not very sensible. If you have a problem with the purchase you will need independent legal advice. You should also beware of agents offering legal advice packages, they are costly and I have had countless letters of complaints about them. "There are reported cases of lawyers deliberately ignoring or failing to investigate matters which could adversely affect the best interests of the buyer," says Stephen Smith of Stephen Smith (France) Ltd. "Hence the need to instruct totally independent bilingual lawyers who do not rely on estate agents for their living."Â Â

9. Integration
Learning French is an obvious tip. But it is amazing how many people don't bother. There is an increased animosity towards Brits that just point and shout, so get your phrase books out and make an effort. I have heard a few terms of endearments recently to add to les rosbifs. Les goddams and les ****-offs. I think the fact that a lot of Brits come over expecting some sort of colonial lifestyle has a lot to do with the growing resentment.

10. Tax
There is nothing quite as complicated as the French tax system, so you need to find out what applies for your specific circumstances. There are several tax specialists and lawyers that can help you, such as Russell Cooke, Blevins Franks and Stephen Smith (France) Ltd. However, there are a few tips you should be aware of. For example, in most cases, when you sell your house in the UK, once you are a resident in France, you will not have to pay capital gains tax on it.


More France Please We're British: Helena Frith Powell's new book for would be French residents.

Helena Frith Powell's More France Please, We're British (Â£9.99) is published by Gibson Square and can be ordered from Amazon by clicking here

Bank Holidays 2004

2004-03-14T09:48:51Z

Bank holidays in France this year (2004) are as follows:
JANUARY 1st............... New Year's Day
APRIL 12th................ Easter Monday
MAY 1st................... May Day/Labour Day
MAY 8th................... Victory Day 1945
MAY 20th.................. Ascension
MAY 31st.................. Whit Monday
JULY 14th................. Bastille Day
AUGUST 15th............... Assumption
NOVEMBER 1st.............. All Saints' Day
NOVEMBER 11th............. VE Day
DECEMBER (...)

- The Survival Guide

French Taxes 2004

A correspondent — 2004-03-13T09:31:08Z

The Loi de Finances for 2004 has recently been voted in. It reflects the Government's long-term policy of reducing income tax rates with further reductions in the 2003 rates. A number of tax reductions and deductions have been introduced, increased or their scope has been extended. It also includes a number of measures to simplify certain taxes and the related filing obligations.

PERSONAL TAX MEASURES

â€¢ The scale rates of income tax for 2003 are as follows:

Band of income	Rate of Tax
â‚¬	%
Less than 4,262	0
4,263 - 8,382	6.83
8,383 - 14,753	19.14
14,754 - 23,888	28.26
23,889 - 38,868	37.38
38,869 - 47,932	42.62
47,933 +	48.09

The maximum tax credit for the employment of a home help, gardener etc, has been increased from â‚¬7,400 to â‚¬10,000 with effect from 1 January 2003. The tax credit is calculated as 50% of the amount paid, up to â‚¬10,000.

â€¢ The avoir fiscal (tax credit) will be abolished with effect from 1 January 2005. It will be replaced by a mitigating system under which French residents would only be taxed on 50% of their dividend income. A tax credit of â‚¬75 or â‚¬150 (depending on marital status) will be granted to compensate lower-rate taxpayers for the suppression of the avoir fiscal refund.

â€¢ The maximum relief a taxpayer may obtain through the application of the family parts system (quotient familial) is fixed at â‚¬ 2,086 per extra half share in the tax household.

â€¢ The maximum deduction in respect of a dependent child not included in the household's total quotient is increased to â‚¬ 4,338.

â€¢ The limit of the 10% abatement from the household's total pension income is a minimum of â‚¬ 334 and a maximum of â‚¬ 3,268. The limits or the same abatement against salaries are â‚¬ 376 (minimum) and â‚¬12,648 (maximum). The maximum amount of the 20% abatement applicable to both pensions and salaries is â‚¬ 23,180.

â€¢ In accordance with a European Directive dated 22 October 1999, France has reduced VAT from 19.6% to 5.5% in respect of the following activities:

i) Building works, other than construction or reconstruction work, on dwellings more than 2 years old.

ii) Services provided to individuals including cleaning services carried out by approved companies.

It is proposed to make the 5.5% rate permanent and extend it to "traditional" restaurant services, subject to the approval of the European Commission. The EC's answer on this is expected around the end of 2004.

â€¢ The cost of accommodation in a nursing home, hospital, convalescence or special care retirement homes gives rise to a tax credit against the taxpayer's liability calculated as 25% of the expense. This has been increased from â‚¬2,300 per person per year, to â‚¬3,000.

TAXES ON CAPITAL

Wealth Tax largely unchanged
In the absence of any mention regarding wealth taxation in the 2004 Loi, the threshold of â‚¬ 720,000 net taxable wealth and the scale rates remain the same for 2004:

Taxable wealth	Rate
â‚¬	%
Less than 720,000	0
720,000 - 1,160,000	0.55
1,160,000 - 2,300,000	0.75
2,300,000 - 3,600,000	1
3,600,000 - 6,900,000	1.3
6,900,000 - 15,000,000	1.65
15,000,000 +	1.8

New Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Regime on the Disposal of French Real Estate
The tax regime for capital gains on the sale of properties has been simplified. The principal characteristics of the new regime are as follows and are effective from 1 January 2004:

â€¢ All principal private residences in France are exempt from French CGT. No time conditions need to be fulfilled.

â€¢ The first sale of a residence in France of French or EU nationals residing outside of France is exempt from French CGT provided that the person has been fiscally resident in France for at least two years prior to the sale.

â€¢ Acquisition costs can be set at 7.5% and renovation costs at 15%, provided the property has been held for at least five years. The costs can be deducted for their real amount if they can be evidenced (invoices etc).

â€¢ Total exemption for capital gains realised after 15 years of ownership through the application of a 10% reduction per year of ownership from the fifth year.

â€¢ The allowance for indexation to reduce the effects of inflation is suppressed

â€¢ The new CGT rate is fixed at 16% (to which 10% social surcharges need to be added) for French residents. Other EU residents also benefit from this reduced rate, and in addition, do not pay the social surcharges. Unfortunately, residents in non-EU countries are still liable to French CGT at 33.33%, regardless of nationality.

â€¢ Exemption for sales with a price below â‚¬ 15,000.

â€¢ A new tax-free allowance of â‚¬1,000 per disposal instead of â‚¬ 915 annually.

â€¢ Any inheritance tax and gifts tax is taken into account for the determination of the acquisition price of property inherited or received as a gift.

â€¢ Taxpayers no longer need to file a CGT returns [form 2049]. Instead, the onus will fall on the notaire to establish the gain and to collect the tax due out of the sales proceeds.

â€¢ The sale of shares of commercial companies (SCIs liable to French corporation tax, SARL and foreign limited companies) of which more than 50% of assets consist in French real estate, is taxed under the rules applicable to the sale of stocks and shares. The rate applicable is 26% (including 10% social surcharges). There is no indexation nor taper relief. It is the nominal value of the shares that is used as the base cost so this can present difficulties for companies with a low share capital.

Temporary Reduction for Lifetime Gifts in "Full-Ownership"
Lifetime gifts in full-ownership are being encouraged by a tax reduction of 50%, applicable regardless of the age of the donor and for the period from 25 September 2003 to 30 June 2005.

New BarÃ¨me for Gifts of Nue-PropriÃ©tÃ© (Bare-Ownership)
Where an asset is gifted but the donor retains a life-interest, the donee receives the bare-ownership of the asset. The barÃ¨me for determining the value of the gift and the value of the remainder has been updated and the new scale is as follows:

Age of the Life Tenant	Value of the Life Interest	Value of Remainder
-	% of market value	% of market value
Less than 21	90	10
21 - 30	80	20
31 - 40	70	30
41 - 50	60	40
51 - 60	50	50
61 - 70	40	60
71 - 80	30	70
81 - 90	20	80
91 +	10	90

However, to compensate for the increased gifts tax reduction granted for gifts in full ownership, the tax reduction for gifts with a reserved life interest is reduced to 35% (instead of 50%) for donors aged under 65 and to 10% (instead of 30%) for a donor aged between 65 and 75.

Reduction of Filing Obligations for Inheritance Tax
In order to reduce the formalities of inheritance tax, descendants, ascendants and the surviving spouse are dispensed from filing a dÃ©claration de succession when the gross value of the estate does not exceed â‚¬10,000. For all other beneficiaries, the dispensation applies where the value of the estate does not exceed â‚¬3,000.

Swimming Pool Regulations

Rob — 2004-03-08T11:27:05Z

New laws have been introduced in France to enhance the safety and security of swimming pools.
These laws mainly concern in ground pools.

Now that the dust has settled and the new standards have been established, we can tell you what security devices you can install to make your pool conform to the new regulations.

But you better be fast about it as there is a possible 45000 euro fine for non compliance. The first of May 2004 is the final date for pools that are subject to rentals and all pools built after 2003, private pools have until 1st January 2006.

Before installing any sytem check with your insurers that the sytem is acceptable to them.

It would appear that you have a choice between the following four systems, although common sense dictates that a safe enclosure together with an alarm would be more effective than either of these systems in isolation.

The simplest system is that of an alarm that conforms to the new AFNOR standard.

There are several on the market at prices ranging up to 900 Euros.

The best are fixed just back from the edge of the pool with a trunk that drops into the water, powered by a solar charged lithium battery they need no electrical wiring. These are suitable where the pool is close to the house so that the alarm can be easily heard.

Next, surprisingly, pool covers are allowed. These must conform to the AFNOR standard and be strong enough to bear the weight of a man. There are a variety of reinforced covers on the market, some that work with rollers.

Pool shelters, both permanent and the telescopic variety conforming to the AFNOR standard are considered OK.

Last fencing is also acceptable as long as it conforms to the new AFNOR standard. This controls distance from the water (at least a metre) height constriction, fixing etc.

All safety equipment must be regularly maintained and you must keep records of this.

You will find that the larger French building mechants, such as Union and a lot of the swimming pool firms can and will supply you with your chosen safety equipment.