You will receive your council tax notice, is it possible to contest it?

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– It is possible to submit a complaint to your Public Finance center or online.

From this Monday, November 4, certain taxpayers will receive their housing tax notice. Abolished by Emmanuel Macron in 2023 for most French households, this local tax still concerns owners of second homes, vacant homes and furnished premises not allocated to the main home. But can you challenge this council tax notice if you believe you are being wrongly taxed? The answer is yes. It is entirely possible to submit a complaint from your public finance center or online, as specified by Actu.fr.

However, “filing a claim does not exempt you from paying the tax”underline the tax services. Your request must be carried out «before December 31 of the year following that of the tax recovery indicated on the tax notice”stipulates the official website of the French administration. Furthermore, you can benefit from an exemption if you have left your main residence “to enter a specialized reception establishment (retirement home or long-term care center)”.

Possible exemptions

Furthermore, in the rural revitalization areas (ZRR), municipalities can also exempt owners of guest rooms and classified premises from this tax. “furnished tourist accommodation”. Online notices are sent from this Monday for non-monthly taxpayers and from November 18 for monthly taxpayers. Paper notices will be sent between November 6 and 18 for non-monthly taxpayers and between November 21 and 28 for monthly taxpayers. If you have not opted for monthly payment, you will have to pay your housing tax before December 15 if you do not pay it online. Otherwise, you have until December 24 to pay it.

In an interview given to ParisianSaturday November 2, Catherine Vautrin, the Minister of Partnership with the Territories and Decentralization, put an end to rumors about the return of the housing tax. “There will be no return to housing tax on main residences”she assured while many elected officials are in favor of it in order to stop the spiraling public deficit.