Who will have to pay France's household tax this year?
The French taxe d'habitation - the householders' tax - has recently undergone a series of changes that have seen it scrapped entirely for many people. So who still has to pay it?
There are two main types of property tax in France, taxe foncière which is paid by the building owner and taxe d'habitation which is paid by the person who lives in the building.
And it's the taxe d'habitation that has been undergoing a gradual phasing out over the last three years, leaving many people liable to pay nothing at all.
The original plan was to phase it out completely by 2023, but President Emmanuel Macron has now said that, due to the unprecedented economic situation caused by the pandemic and lockdown, some people could continue to pay it for the foreseeable future.
So who will pay the tax, which falls due in the autumn, in 2020?
READ ALSO The French tax calendar for 2020: What taxes are due and when?
Well firstly second home owners still have to pay it. And as property owners you also have to pay the taxe foncière, which in some areas has seen a sharp increase.
For people living in their primary (or only) residence, taxe d'habitation is now means tested, with only the higher earners still obliged to pay.
But the cut-off point for this is actually quite low, so it's far from only the super-rich who will be paying this.
For this year's bills, only the people who are in the top 20 percent of France's income bracket will receive a bill.
According to French national statistics body INSEE this works out as;
For a single person - an income of €27,706 or more per year
For a couple with no children or one child - an income of €44,124 or more
For a couple with more than one child - an income of €56,438 or more
The median income level in France is €1,692 per month (or €20,300 per year) and half of the households receive less than this amount in annual income from salaries, pensions or benefits.
The 10 percent of people in the lowest income bracket have an annual income of €10,860 (€905 per month).
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There are two main types of property tax in France, taxe foncière which is paid by the building owner and taxe d'habitation which is paid by the person who lives in the building.
And it's the taxe d'habitation that has been undergoing a gradual phasing out over the last three years, leaving many people liable to pay nothing at all.
The original plan was to phase it out completely by 2023, but President Emmanuel Macron has now said that, due to the unprecedented economic situation caused by the pandemic and lockdown, some people could continue to pay it for the foreseeable future.
So who will pay the tax, which falls due in the autumn, in 2020?
READ ALSO The French tax calendar for 2020: What taxes are due and when?
Well firstly second home owners still have to pay it. And as property owners you also have to pay the taxe foncière, which in some areas has seen a sharp increase.
For people living in their primary (or only) residence, taxe d'habitation is now means tested, with only the higher earners still obliged to pay.
But the cut-off point for this is actually quite low, so it's far from only the super-rich who will be paying this.
For this year's bills, only the people who are in the top 20 percent of France's income bracket will receive a bill.
According to French national statistics body INSEE this works out as;
For a single person - an income of €27,706 or more per year
For a couple with no children or one child - an income of €44,124 or more
For a couple with more than one child - an income of €56,438 or more
The median income level in France is €1,692 per month (or €20,300 per year) and half of the households receive less than this amount in annual income from salaries, pensions or benefits.
The 10 percent of people in the lowest income bracket have an annual income of €10,860 (€905 per month).
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