Votes for expats

Don’t know if this has been reported elsewhere but thought it might be of interest.

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The Tories have been promising that since 2005, it’s in all their manifestos. Boris is even less trustworthy than Cameron or May, so I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for this. He’ll find some weaselly excuse not to do it. Perhaps “lack of parliamentary time as it was all taken up by the problems caused by the EU/foreigners/ coronavirus/ human rights campaigners”.

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Long overdue, but they also have to change the voting system to make it possible for all eligible citizens to return their vote in time for polling day.
And while they are at it, they could rerun the referendum to include expats in the vote!
A democracy that denies the vote to some of its citizens isn’t a democracy…

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I’m more inclined to think people should be allowed to vote in their country of permanent residence. Personally, I don’t vote in UK elections - though I did in the brexit referendum, which was a special case.
I understand that if you see yourself as an ‘ex-pat’ (psychologically a Brit living temporarily abroad), then voting in the UK will appear more important - but if you see yourself as an immigrant committed to your new country, then why vote in the old?
Nor is it at all clear to me that votes for ‘ex-pats’ would benefit us living in the EU - or would have affected the brexit referendum result - since far more Brits are in America or Commonwealth countries than in Europe.

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Indeed - as far as brexit was concerned - we would probably all have benefited had EU immigrants to the UK been allowed to vote there!

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Much rather have a vote where I live now, than where I used to.

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The simple answer for UK retirees is that our income comes from the UK, as does our entitlement to health care.
There is a good argument that expats should have their own constituency with an elected MP who could devote all his time to representing their interests.

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If half agree - personally my view would be that one should have a vote wherever one is obliged to pay tax. So, for most Brits in France that would be both countries.

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No, we have a double taxation agreement. If you are paying tax in both countries, you shouldn’t.

It’s interesting that the French really have excelled themselves in this respect. Not only are French expatriates allowed to vote for life but the government even sets up multiple polling stations in each foreign country where it is justified by the numbers of French nationals living there and they have a certain number of actual expatriate parliamentary constituencies according to geographical region. This latter point makes perfect sense when you think about it because the MPs elected to represent those regions can devote all their attention to the purely expat issues arising where they are.

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I thought that income taxed at source in the UK did not get re-taxed in France but the actual revenue stays in the UK

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All income has to be declared here in France… but tax already paid in UK is taken into consideration when France looks at the financial picture of the person… if France would have charged more… an extra is demanded… if France would have charged less - tough luck! that is how I understand things… :upside_down_face: and it makes no difference where the money stays…

and, of course, depends what type of income is important , as some foreign income will be subject to “Social charges etc” in France … (and some folk think this is the same as Tax but it is not)

I thought that if you were taxed on some income in the UK you declared all your income in France but the tax treaty ensured that France could not tax the already taxed income. France needs to know your worldwide income so any income taxed in France can be taxed at the correct rate.

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Dead cats.

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Because we cannot vote in our new country either! To some extent I agree with your comments, but the UK government can and does still play with our pensions, and e.g. our loss of cold weather payments, and as since leaving the EU we cannot vote in French elections either it would be nice to have some say somewhere! I may well try for French nationality, but up to now there has been little point.

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The French are removing the language exemption for those over 60 who wish to apply for citizenship.
So, unless you have French up to level B1, including a written test, you will have to stick with a C de S and remain vote less.
The Tories did put in their \Manifesto that they would remove the 15 year rule on voting, but have stayed totally quiet on that front.

Our friends and neighbours certainly cannot get their heads around the fact that, as of now, OH and I (and so many others) cannot vote anywhere in the world… :anguished:

Yesterday I was told … that many French folk consider the removal of our right to vote in France… as an illegal move by the French Govt (their words not mine)… since many of us have now been left totally disenfranchised… lost in the void so to speak… :thinking:

whether such a claim would stand up to scrutiny, who knows… but our French pals certainly are on our side… vive la revolution… :upside_down_face:

I had my last meeting as a conseiller municipal last night, all the others thought it was an "abomination " being denied the right to vote, not just in France, but in the UK too. I’m still expected to do my “assesseur” duty at the “bureau de vote” for the upcoming election though, until the 22nd March .

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Yes that seems to be the general reaction… It’s sad.

Unfortunately the French government is acting legally. I’m sure if they wanted to they could make a new law allowing British citizens resident in France before the end of the transition period to vote in local elections. Perhaps someone needs to start a petition.