10,000 undeclared swimming pools, online sales, foreign accounts, tax credits… Four cases of tax fraud in Gironde

The facts and figures were made public to help understand the mechanisms for combating tax fraud, but the Regional Finance Directorate of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the Gironde department took care not to give the slightest indication allowing to locate or identify the companies or individuals concerned. This unprecedented form of transparency also aims to make it known that the most serious frauds are the subject of criminal proceedings, which can lead to prison sentences and ban on management. Excerpts.

Undue tax credits

“When filing the income tax return, “datamining” [littéralement, l’exploration de données, c’est-à-dire l’analyse de vastes volumes de données dans le but de trouver des corrélations, des tendances ou encore des anomalies] allows the tax administration to detect tax credits that may not be justified. This check is carried out even before proceeding with their reimbursement. Thus, in 2023, in Gironde, 700 credits have not been repaid, for an amount of 2.8 million euros. Nationally, there were 181 million euros of fraud involving tax reductions and credits, the reimbursement of which was avoided. »

Foreign accounts

“Since 2018, tax administrations have automatically exchanged lists of people holding bank accounts abroad. An individual failed to declare to the French tax authorities the holding of a financial account in Monaco with a balance of 3 million euros. The administration recalled 840,000 euros and applied the 80% increase corresponding to fraudulent maneuvers (in this case the interposition of an undeclared foreign bank account) for an amount of 672,000 euros. »

Undeclared swimming pools

“Thanks to the use of orthophotographs (aerial or satellite photos with improved rendering, Editor's note) from the IGN with artificial intelligence, 10,000 swimming pools were detected. » This represents “2.4 million euros in property taxes for local authorities”. This method of investigation is expected to be extended to shelters and building extensions.

Undeclared Internet sales

“An activity of manufacturing and selling clothing on the collaborative platforms Amazon, Rakuten and eBay has not been declared in France. Payments were made to an account in Germany and to a Paypal account in Luxembourg. The amount of turnover concealed from the administration over two years amounted to 799,000 euros. Reminders of rights amounted to 244,000 euros, deliberate breaches to 90,000 euros. »