tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post2647860471091793842..comments2024-03-23T04:01:39.348-04:00Comments on Understanding Society: New ideas about taxes in FranceDan Littlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-62171293280968566672011-01-28T01:27:12.641-05:002011-01-28T01:27:12.641-05:00I agree with thisI agree with thisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-30039169224150029342011-01-23T01:36:38.642-05:002011-01-23T01:36:38.642-05:00The problem with the French tax system is not it&#...The problem with the French tax system is not it's lack of progressivity, but it's inscrutability. I started a company in France in 2008, and that's because I failed in doing so in 2007, as it took too long to understand the simplest of things: What type of company to start.<br /><br />There are a seemingly infinite amount of company types, all with their own tax structure and their own deducations and their own special cases. Not even the accountants I talked to could tell me how many different types of companies existed in France. And when they recently decided to make it easier to start a company in France, they did so not by removing types, but by adding yet another type of company, in practice therefore making it even harder.<br /><br />I get papers from several different parts of the French state asking me for different kinds of taxes, hardly understanding what each of them do. Especially confusing is the fact that one of the papers are from two organizations. How does that work? Is it RSI or RAM I'm actually paying to? RSI seems to handle social security and RAM the health insurance. Except of course that this is the same thing!? And why did I go to an agency called URSSAF to start the company, and not have anything to do with them after starting it? What does URSSAF really do? I haven't got a clue.<br /><br />I ended up paying an accountant to take care of everything. I have no idea if I payed too much or too little tax in France, it's simply beyond comprehension for anyone who isn't a full time accountant. But it seems like exactly everything is deductible, making for another injustice. Start your own company and suddenly all your expenses becomes tax free.<br /><br />Well, in any case, all of that is over now. I moved to Poland. It seems to be easier and more understandable here. (Although not quite as easy as in Sweden). If France should do any ind of tax reform, they should make a huge simplification where they have a consistent tax level for everyone no matter what kind of company, or employee you are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com