News Digest: More French Communes Raise Taxes for Second Homes

We reported back in August 2023 that additional communes had been added to the list of zones tendues, and thousands of communes around France are now on the list. Being on the “zones tendues” list – essentially a list of areas in which there are property shortages – means that communes can elect to raise property taxes on second homes (the taxe d’habitation) by up to 60%.

These surcharges only applied from January 1st, 2024, and so will be reflected in the taxe d’habitation bills sent out this autumn. Communes can opt not to raise taxes, or they can increase them by between 5% and 60%. 1,461 communes have chosen to increase taxes in 2024, up from around 300 the year before. They include mostly communes in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur regions, but also some communes around Paris and along the Atlantic Coast. Popular holiday home locations such as Saint-Malo (Brittany), Saint-Tropez (Var), Bonifacio (Corse-du-Sud), Quiberon (Morbihan), and Chamonix (Haute-Savoie) are also among those that will see a rise in their tax bills.

You can see the full list of communes that have voted to increase taxe d’habitation on second homes here.

Read our guide to Zones Tendues in France.

France has broken a new record this week, although it’s perhaps not one to be proud of! It’s now been more than 40 days since Macron’s snap parliamentary elections took place, and after a lengthy pause to account for the Paris Olympics, France still doesn’t have an elected government. The longest time that a caretaker government has remained in place prior to this was during the Fourth Republic – for 37 days.

Since the end of the Olympics, Macron has promised to make progress on forming a new government and appointing a new prime minster, but two weeks on, little seems to have changed. However, Macron has been busy behind the scenes, meeting with various political leaders, including the centre-right Les Republicains, the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP), and even Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella from the far-right Rassemblement National. The president has received criticism from all sides as he remains insistent on finding a centrist figure to head up a new coalition, refusing the calls of the NFP to form a government.

While there is hope that a conclusion will be reached this week, there is also every possibility that this will drag on into September. The clock is ticking, though – the new government needs to draft the 2025 budget by October 1st, a task that can’t be done under the current caretaker government.

As always, we’ll keep you up to date with the latest.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 28th, the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games begin, marked by a grand opening ceremony in the heart of Paris. While it won’t quite be on the scale of the epic 4-hour-long Olympic Opening Ceremony at the end of July, it will also be held for the first time outside of a traditional stadium. Celebrations will kick off at 8pm French time on Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées in central Paris and will also be broadcast live on France 2 and on international TV channels around the world.

The Paralympic Games will run from August 28th to September 8th, and events will be broadcast on France 2 and France 3. Many of the fan zones set up for the Olympic Games will also be reopening for the Paralympic events. Find out more here.

We’re back with another advice-packed webinar on Monday September 9th. I’ll be joined by tax, healthcare, and visa/immigration experts to answer all your questions and advise you on how to avoid the mistakes we see so many people making! This time, we’ll go beyond the basics and take a look at the nitty-gritty of making the move to France. Sign up now so you don’t miss out!

What You REALLY Need to Know About Moving to France

Monday 9th September
4pm UK / 5pm France / 11am USA (EDT)