And if the council taxabolished for principal residences, was making a comeback? Launched by the LR mayor of Meaux (77) Jean-François Copéthe idea gained ground. So much so that mayors have been suspected of putting pressure on the government to relaunch this tax, which is currently only paid by owners of second homes. “It’s not true! We are against the return of the taxe d’habitation and have never called for it.“assures Figaro Emmanuel Sallaberry, co-chairman of the Finance Committee of the Association of French Mayors. “In the fiscal panic that has gripped the country, it would not be a good idea to relaunch the taxe d’habitation.“adds the mayor of Talence (33).

However, mayors are indeed considering a disguised taxe d’habitation to replace the property tax which only property owners pay and which, according to our information, accounts for almost 41% of the operating revenue of all town halls. For it is a “universal contribution“(see video below). Like the taxe d’habitation, it would also be paid by tenants. “This contribution, equal for all French people, must be part of a structural reform, with a lower level of compulsory deductions. It’s time for the government to take a fresh look at local taxation, and not ask us to pay off a debt we didn’t create.“insists Emmanuel Sallaberry, who refuses to be the “lightning rod for French anger“.

The government doesn’t say no

With the disappearance of the taxe d’habitation, elected officials are faced with a shortfall of 20 billion euros which, according to mayors, the government has never compensated for, contrary to Emmanuel Macron’s promise. Ideas abound: Matignon considers increasing transfer duties (known as “frais de notaire”) paid by property buyers, which go into the pockets of the State, local authorities and notaries.

The Union nationale des propriétaires immobiliers (Unpi) would like to see tenants to pay part of the property tax and also supports this idea of “universal contribution”. “There is a divide between those who pay and those who benefit from public services and infrastructure financed by taxes they don’t pay.says Sylvain Grataloup, president of Unpi, who envisages a “a lump sum combined with tax allowances based on civic-minded behavior and taxpayers’ income“. This tax, which is more of an incentive than a punishment, should unite the French around a common project in favor of the community.“

A measure supported not only by mayors, but also by the government’s Catherine Vautrin, Minister for Partnership with the Territories and Decentralization, who raised the idea of a “universal territorial contribution“at a Local Finance Committee meeting on October 7. Laurent Saint-Martin, French Minister for the Budget and Public Accounts, also said that there was “that there was no taboo on the subject of local taxation, and that he was not opposed to giving local authorities greater autonomy.“