PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of second home owners in cities in France, including many expats who’ve bought property in the country, face large rises in the tax that they pay to town halls.
When he became President, Emmanuel Macron said that he would increase the tax d’habitation for holiday and second home owners, with some owners facing a doubling of rates.
Some authorities, such as in Paris, have already introduced the higher rate of tax with other cities and towns now doing so too. It is regarded as an easy way to increase their budgets.
Nice, Saint Jean de Luz and Bordeaux have already hiked the tax and a total of 1,151 French councils, towns and cities with a population of more than 50,000 can increase the tax under powers outlined in the last Budget.
Some city town halls also see the tax boost as an opportunity to cut back on short term rentals under Airbnb-style platforms. They believe that too many people are buying homes to let them out to tourists and pushing up prices for ordinary people.
