Tax raise for people with comfort features like running water, ok so the Gov needs more money but running water? That’s an essential for life and paid via the water bills.
It defies logic really, doesn’t it? Surely they could be more imaginative about raising money.
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Goes back to my old joke 20 years ago, does a French person sh1t in the woods? Lots used to..
A poisson d’avril surely? 
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Could be, didn’t know that was a thing in France
Almost certainly. I almost fell for one about speed limits being reduced to 110km/h but only for fossil fuel vehicles, not for EVs. Quite feasible in the current climate.
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Isn’t this just another way to catch people who’ve carried out “non declared” improvements?
I saw this in the French press a months back so don’t think it’s an April Fools prank.
I wondered that, but the online article is dated today. I thought I might have read something similar in the last few weeks.
Me too, I just saw articles by TF1 and le Figaro, amongst others, last month.
I suppose it depends on the phrasing - if you told me my local taxes should be higher because I had a bathroom I’d probably think you were pulling my leg.
If, on the other hand, you told me that fitting an extra bathroom would cause my taxes to rise I’d probably believe you. Admittedly that would be with the line “bloody French” uttered sotto voce.
When we bought our house there were washbasins hidden in what appeared to be cupboards in the bedrooms, and there was a good reason for that.
When I saw the thread title but before I read the posts I thought it was asking me if I had a homely face and was I thus more comfortable in it. 
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This is real. And stems from decades of people doing things to their homes without declaring it, and not recognising that with the advent of the biens immobilier section on our tax page they should bring things up to date.
The way that tax foncière is calculated does include an element of home facilities and is not just on sq metres. Which is logical as it is all about the notional rentable value of the property. Our previous opposite neighbours have no indoor bathroom, single glazed windows and an earth floor so quite right that their tax foncière is peanuts.
Again a cultural difference in the approach to local taxes.
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Only logical to a civil servant, 
just humour before anyone gets upset why asses on rental value when they are not rented? Also there is a reason so many run down and derelict property exists in France because brining them up to a good standard is likely to invoke more charges so long term it’s not really a good strategy. But hey ho, it’s how they choose to do it but “running water” hardly a luxury.
Shouldn’t houses that don’t have running water be taxed less?
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Toilet without wash basins paid less tax historically?
A nasty situation though.
Probably possible to get 100% exoneration and pay nothing if uninhabitable. (But if have private water then habitatble)
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I remember my dad telling me years ago that in the UK the house rates used to include how many taps you had as well as toilets, hence why most homes only had the one WC and one handbasin the main bathroom and a bathtub was the main way of washing yourself. Electric power showers fitted in homes could go unnoticed but proper shower rooms/walk in showers like we have now are classed as a luxury item and appear on the number of washing areas. I have had to confirm what I have and the Mairie knows anyway with new builds, its the older properties in ordinary roads and streets that they now want to charge as they have no records from building permits etc
They’ll be taxing windows next.
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A floral wallpaper tax would raise billions in France…
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