France's new property tax declaration sparks fury among homeowners and bureaucrats
If you've been having problems with the new French property tax declaration then you are not alone - the tax office has been inundated with complaints about the system, and unions representing tax office staff are also furious.
The one-off déclaration d'occupation is a new tax requirement this year, and must be completed by all property-owners, informing the tax office whether their property is a main residence or a second home.
The reason for this is the recent abolition of the taxe d'habitation (householders' tax) on all properties, with the exception of second homes. The tax office requires an up-to-date record of whether a property is a main residence or a second home, so that correct tax bills can be sent out in the autumn.
It must be completed by all property-owners in France, and it is an online-only procedure, completed via the tax website impots.gouv.fr.
The deadline was initially Friday, June 30th - that has already been extended until July 31st and may have to be extended again after tax offices reported being inundated with complaints and problems.
A single day - June 16th - recorded 94,000 calls to the tax helpline, almost all of them concerning the property tax declaration.
The biggest cause of complaints - according to unions representing the stressed-out staff at tax offices - were the lack of a paper option for the form and the lack of a receipt once it is filed online, so people cannot be sure that their form was processed correctly.
The Local has also received a high number of queries from property-owners in France, with second-home owners most commonly experiencing problems.
The declaration is filed via the 'personal account' on the tax office website - something which residents in France have in order to file their annual tax returns but many second-home owners who live abroad do not. Creating the account has proved difficult for many, with requests for in-person ID checks for many second-home owners.
We've tried to troubleshoot the most common questions from readers HERE.
You can also find a complete explanation of how to complete the declaration HERE.
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The one-off déclaration d'occupation is a new tax requirement this year, and must be completed by all property-owners, informing the tax office whether their property is a main residence or a second home.
The reason for this is the recent abolition of the taxe d'habitation (householders' tax) on all properties, with the exception of second homes. The tax office requires an up-to-date record of whether a property is a main residence or a second home, so that correct tax bills can be sent out in the autumn.
It must be completed by all property-owners in France, and it is an online-only procedure, completed via the tax website impots.gouv.fr.
The deadline was initially Friday, June 30th - that has already been extended until July 31st and may have to be extended again after tax offices reported being inundated with complaints and problems.
A single day - June 16th - recorded 94,000 calls to the tax helpline, almost all of them concerning the property tax declaration.
The biggest cause of complaints - according to unions representing the stressed-out staff at tax offices - were the lack of a paper option for the form and the lack of a receipt once it is filed online, so people cannot be sure that their form was processed correctly.
The Local has also received a high number of queries from property-owners in France, with second-home owners most commonly experiencing problems.
The declaration is filed via the 'personal account' on the tax office website - something which residents in France have in order to file their annual tax returns but many second-home owners who live abroad do not. Creating the account has proved difficult for many, with requests for in-person ID checks for many second-home owners.
We've tried to troubleshoot the most common questions from readers HERE.
You can also find a complete explanation of how to complete the declaration HERE.
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