Blackladder

I need a Little moral discussion and support on this one:

What would you do if you knew that a couple were making Money from a gite (among other things) and not declaring it to the French authorities?
Blackie

Harvester523

That's a toughie. I don't know what I'd do, and probably wouldn't say here! Could you offer to help them fill out a tax form?
If it helps to nudge them - a recent case, UK husband and wife have got a 6 months suspended sentence and potentially have to pay 136000 euros to RSI. Of course that was a slightly bigger business. Their company was registered - just only in the UK and not France.

Blackladder

Hi Harvester!
They've been here many years and have, as far as I know, declared Everything else, so they know what they're doing...
Blackie

Harvester523

Do they advertise? That could well be their downfall if they do. I know a lot of people that do a lot of silly things - they'll either get found out or they won't.
How are you liking France?

cyrian

Personally, I would leave it alone.
They must be quite up front about it if they told you what they were doing - otherwise it is just a suspicion or hearsay.
If that is the case then someone will denounce them but you would be able to say honestly that it was not you.
Just look after your own tax affairs and let others do the same.
Nice start to 2014

Tafster101

What business is it of yours? If they want to run the risk of getting caught, then its their choice. Concern yourself with your own affairs, not other people's.

corky33

Unless you have actually seen their tax return it would be difficult to know whether or not they do actually declare. Personally I totally disagree with Tafster101. In whichever country people reside they should not try to cheat the system and if they are I hope they get caught.

Chatter Static

I am of the the general opinion that other peoples business is exactly that, what Mrs Grundy does is her business as long as she keeps the curtains closed. It's better to keep yourself to yourself in that respect as you never know when you might have a infraction that needs overlooking.

dmu

There are enough French people ready to denounce fraud of all types. Usually the honest ones in the same profession who find it unfair competition.
Leave it to other gîte owners or irate French tax-payers to denounce this couple....

Blackladder

At the risk of getting a Little off topic, but in answer to Harvester's kind enquiry:
we're loving every minute of it! The long Winter afternoons, the cheap food, the even cheaper wine, the low cost of fuel and heating, the friendly people, the easy beaurocracy; in fact I'm tempted to start a new thread on, for example, 'moving to France from a more expensive country' which could be a bit of an Eye opener for some people!
Once again, thanks for asking!
Blackie

MillieF

[QUOTE=Blackladder;11062 in fact I'm tempted to start a new thread on, for example, 'moving to France from a more expensive country' which could be a bit of an Eye opener for some people!
Once again, thanks for asking!
Blackie[/QUOTE]

Please do so Blackie as I'm sure we would all be most interested. I looked at your profile, but it didn't tell me how long you have been in France, or where you moved there from

InVinoVeritas

Perhaps I could give you some food for thought on this one Blackladder.
Some years ago I was denounced in France and consequently there began a very time-consuming, stressful and thorough investigation of my affairs by the fisc. For anyone not familiar with this process it involves getting copies of several year's bank statements and annotating every single entry as to purpose, source and destination etc.
Happily nothing was found which pissed off the inspector no end!
I always suspected it was some jealous French neighbour that I'd upset but as luck (and an extra-marital affair) would have it, the culprit turned out to be an English guy I knew socially. His wife, who was having an affair with a good friend of mine, was delighted to give me the low-down on his "less than perfect" tax situation and a quick call to the same tax inspector resulted in him being investigated.
After a substantial fine for under-paid tax he left France (and his wife).
So the moral is:- let he who has no sin cast the first stone!

dmu

We were denounced some time ago - the local "spy" thought we were employing someone on the black, and a couple of URSSAF people came one day to check. Luckily for us we were actually declaring him in the Chèque-Emploi system (and we were surprised that they hadn't checked first....)
That's as may be. Apart from jealous neighbours who feel their livelihood is threatened, there's always someone ready to denounce, without you getting involved.
Slightly off-topic, but URSSAF inspectors also come checking that you aren't swinging the lead if you're salaried and you've got an Arrêt de Travail...

InVinoVeritas

Unless you're Arab, of course! I had a Tunisien employee on Arrêt de Travail for 2 years, most of the time in Tunisia. URSSAF never checked once and when I mentioned it to the Medecin de Travail they took him off Arrêt de Travail so I had to start paying him again!
Sometimes France is one weird country.

Chatter Static

If they are on a Arrêt de Travail you can request an home visit by URSSAF and they certainly do come a knocking they ask for photo id and get the person on the Arrêt de Travail to sign a visit form.

One of my Oh's previous employers was a right see you next tuesday and would get the OH checked two or there times a week when she was on an Arrêt de Travail. They would wait at the end of our lane so they could turn up bang on the prescribed times.