Why, because I politely disagree with you? Debate means exchanging views.
Just read through this post, youâve submitted a link to a news paper and asked a question, hardly debating is it! Or even getting up to the lectern.
I think debate should be based on facts though, not inaccurate reports in some newspaper.
@David_and_Trish and to the forum.
David & Trish, apparently like debating⊠So here we go. This should probably be one or two separate posts, but here we go.
Should Brit UK or other home owners in France have special privilege to visa wavers?
What or any fiscal proof should be required?
Should there be a higher income level for foreign retirees to acquire residency, so not to burden the French tax payers with payments to foreigners with handouts/benifits, to help with energy costs fiscal discounts etc, just because theyâre under a fiscal threshold or same basis of French and French tax payers.
I am quite harsh about all this because france is a country I love, and my home. And more and more as I travel around France I see the impact of enclaves of non-French speaking, non-integrated foreigners living in little bubbles as they are wealthy enough to be able to do so. To the detriment of young French people seeking to live where their families live, and finding it impossible to do so.
So Iâm quite ok about tighter conditions. In terms of disposable income, language ability, and access to social benefits. If one has a high value product then why shouldnât the price be equally high? After all luxury goods are major French industry, so just extend that from handbags and wine to the place itself?
However if people can bring a useful skill and wish to work, then the door should be opened further, including to refugees. So the relaxation of rules for jobs under tension is sensible.
Still quite a hurdle which will exclude around 40% of the population.
Sadly thats an all to common attitude once people live abroad anywhere, I wonder why?
Point taken about language, all who move to a different country should make the effort, but why is it that you seem to feel that only the well-off are to be welcomed (especially if as you suggest they tend to âlive in little bubblesâ)?
Assuming I am still allowed to retire to France in a year or two I am not going to be sponging off the French state - I will have a UK state pension and private pension to live off (albeit not luxuriously) and my healthcare should be covered by the UK under the S1 arrangements.
As for working, I would love to be able to continue to work part-time as a photographer in France, but that option has been scuppered by Brexit. If that were to change, France can have some tax and cotisation Euros from me for a few years if they want them.
I had the same attitude before I moved, especially in terms of not living in a bubble and integrating, learning the language and paying my way. As it seems many on SF do, and anyway Iâm not talking about immigrants.
it seems that there is a group of British non-immigrants who want to have their cake and eat it. They may well have voted for Brexit as well, which is perhaps why they are so sore about it as they didnât realise what they were voting for.
Egalité is not the same as daily customs.
I beg to differ, In this case it is exactly that, there is a touch of master and servant about it which I find distinctly uncomfortable. The fact that it is their custom in spite of the national motto is what I find distressing. They do try, most of them, but find it difficult to remember to do so.
At least they donât actually touch their forelocks, that really would be a step too far.
There are some massive assumptions being made by some of you here, without any discourse or genuine opportunity for debate.
Firstly if someone has enough disposable income to buy a house (cash), pay the fees and taxes associated with that, pay both taxes associated with the property, electric, water etc itâs fair to say that they have no desire to take money from the French system, in fact the exact opposite.
Secondly not everyone wants to or should apply for residency or French passport. Personally I am eligible to apply for a French passport but my line of work will not allow it, and dual citizenship is not allowed.
Thirdly not everyone is retired, and just wants to have the opportunity to visit the property that they own and maintain it (using French tradesmen) whenever they get the opportunity.
Now, if you still think that the proposed waiver doesnât provide Ă©galitĂ© with French citizens visiting UK then there there is no sensible debate to be had.
At the moment my dog has more rights in France than I do!
Werenât most of us on this forum holiday home owners in France before moving permanently? We certainly were and would never have approached the french authorities for any help as we considered if we were lucky enough to be able to buy outright our holiday house then we should be able to finance it. However upon moving permanently, starting a business and paying thousands over many years in social charges, I am glad that the state offered me help when I needed it most, circumstances can change in minutes and so can loss of income. I think those with second homes but not officially resident with a CDS should have some sort of exception to come and go as they like, they still pay hefty habitation and fonciĂšre taxes to their local region and commune so are not getting away scot-free but end of the day, its not their fault they are being made to suffer because of ignorant brexiteers and possibly bought before any grunts were made about it by same brexiteers. If they voted out, then they shouldnât be able to moan about what happened. They couldnât get any assistance anway from the french state if not resident.
I happened to meet a couple the other evening who were also discussing this second home relaxation of the rules, and it floored me when they said they voted for Brexit but didnât expect it to impact the use of their second home. Now a case of bed madeâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ. I couldnât conceal the look of astonishment
I forgot my fourth assumption - that we canât speak French!!! Absolutely not the case for me.
I must have missed something @David_and_Trish, I am a regular here and I donât recall anyone assuming you couldnât speak French.
Anyway, I am interested in the fact that dual nationality is not available to you and wonder if you are not British. Maybe Spanish?
I feel sure that Brexiteers are absolutely the minority. Theyâre clearly mot Francophiles but if theyâre spending their hard earned cash in France and not the UK theyâre undermining their own argument
I wouldnât necessarily assume that Brexiteers were in the minority, unless you have some clear evidence of that, as itâs been quite revealing to me when I see some of the folks who actually voted to leave, and who actually reside in France. I do find that very very strange, and difficult to understand.
Cependant, il faudra encore attendre la mise en application de ce texte et sa publication dans le Journal officiel, car lâAssemblĂ©e nationale ne discutera du projet de loi dans son intĂ©gralitĂ© quâĂ partir de dĂ©cembre.
I hope you get to retire to France, Chris. Iâm sure most people on here wish you well.
Not at all - in fact they are some of the most thoughtful and could see things from both sides pre-Brexit, feeling that the EU had become overly cumbersome, interfering and bureaucratic, happy to see a trading alliance but not wanting it to go further. Not everyone has to be a fan of the EU living in France.
Also, there were certainly those who expected that their vote would be no more that a shot across the bows of the EU and a hefty minority saying âleaveâ would have led to reform.