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MONEY

EXPLAINED: Who could save money if France scraps TV licences?

The government is set to scrap the TV licence fee, so here's what the licence is and who stands to save a few euros if it is cancelled.

Published: 29 September 2021 13:29 CEST
Updated: 16 May 2022 13:48 CEST
EXPLAINED: Who could save money if France scraps TV licences?
Photo: Jonas Leupe / Unsplash

Emmanuel Macron promised that if re-elected he will scrap the TV licence fee. He seems to be following through on this, as it was listed as part of the agenda for the upcoming parliamentary cycle, according to the final Council of Ministers meeting for his first term.

Macron has already scrapped taxe d’habitation (the householders’ tax) for most people, but the TV licence fee (contribution à l’audiovisuel public), which used to be included on the taxe d’habitation notice, still exists.

The current cost of the licence is set at €138 and bills usually arrive in the autumn, at the same time as taxe d’habitation.

Who has to pay

As a rule of thumb, anyone who has a TV at their property in France must have a TV licence. And, yes, you still need a licence even if you do not watch French TV and only watch DVDs or stream programmes from overseas on a TV.

READ MORE: No more TV licence: The measures Macron is banking on to fight cost of living crisis

The payment is per household.

There are some exemptions, however, for example over-60s on a low income, widows or widowers on a low income or people with a registered disability. Find the full details HERE

Second-home owners

The payment covers all devices in a single household. A French TV licence for a main home will also cover any TVs in a second home, so French residents who own two properties only require a single licence.

Foreigners who own second homes in France, who have a TV or device capable of watching TV, however, do have to buy a licence for their French property – and pay taxe d’habitation on it, too since the new exemptions don’t apply to second homes.

What if you do not have a TV?

If you do not have a TV, you can cross the relevant box on the front of your income tax declaration to indicate that you should not be charged a licence fee. 

If you do not declare for French income tax, you should contact your tax office directly to inform them you do not have a TV.

What happens if you have a TV but say you don’t?

You could get caught and fined €150 per eligible device at your home, and pay for a licence.

Your details – including your home address – will be taken whenever you buy a TV, take out internet packages which include TV options, or subscribe to pay-TV services. It will look odd if you do this then tell tax officials you don’t have a TV – and they have been known to make home visits.

Member comments

  2. They can’t come into your home to check whether you have a TV, as they don’t have police powers. However, they can observe whether you have a dish or aerial. I have one from the previous owners of my house, and have physically severed the cable, just in case they claim I have tv. I am told that there is very little chance that they will actually check.

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For members

TAXES

Explained: France’s exit tax

Planning on leaving France? You may, depending on your circumstances, be charged the 'exit tax'.

Published: 11 April 2024 11:28 CEST
Explained: France's exit tax

Like some other European countries, France does have an exit tax for those (French or foreign) who are leaving the country. It’s known by the English name l’Exit tax.

However, it won’t affect most people.

Only those who have been tax resident for a minimum six years of the 10 years immediately before they permanently move out of the country are liable to pay an exit tax – if, that is, they own property, titles or rights worth a minimum of €800,000, or that represent 50 percent of a company’s social profits.

If that affects you, the best advice is to seek expert individual financial advice before moving out of France for good. The relevant page on the French government’s impot.gouv.fr website says it is possible to defer payments, and some relief is available.

Because of the relatively high figures involved, this tax is irrelevant for most people. That said, however, you will still have to inform tax authorities that you are moving out of the country because you may still have income, property and capital gains taxes to pay.

Income tax

You must inform the tax office that you are moving and give them your new address so that your tax declarations can be transferred to your new address.

You are liable for tax on everything you earned in France prior to your departure as well as on any French earnings that are taxable in France under international tax treaties that you earned after your departure.

The year of your departure, you declare your previous year’s earnings as normal – declarations in spring 2024 are for earnings in 2023.

A year later, you will have to declare any earnings taxable in France from January 1st up to the date of your departure, and any French-sourced income taxable source until December 31st of the year of your departure.

If you continue to have any French-sourced income – such as from renting out a French property – you will have to declare that income annually, using the non-residents declaration form.

Property taxes

You will have property taxes to pay if you own a French property on January 1st of any given year – whether it is occupied or not. 

Property tax bills come out in the autumn, but they refer to the situation on January 1st of that year, so even if you sell your property you will usually have the pay a final property tax bill the following year.

Moreover, if you receive income from property in France or have rights related to that property (such as shared ownership or stock in property companies), as well as any additional revenue connected to the property, during the year you leave France, you will be required to pay taxes on these earnings.

If any property assets in France exceed €1.3 million on January 1st of a given year, you may also have to pay the wealth tax (IFI).

READ ALSO What is France’s wealth tax and who pays it?

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Capital gains tax 

If you sell your French property or share of a French property, you may be liable for capital gains tax at a rate of 19 percent. It will also be subject to social security contributions at the overall rate of 17.2 percent.

Capital gains tax varies depending on how long you have owned the property and whether it was a second home or your main residence.

READ ALSO How much capital gains tax will I have to pay if I sell my French property?

The good news is, if you move to another EU country, or any country that has a specific tax agreement with France, you may be exempt from capital gains tax for non-resident sellers on the sale of a property that was your principal residence in France.

If you move elsewhere, you may be able to claim exemption on capital gains tax up to €150,000. As always, you should seek expert financial advice.

Tell Social Security

Inform social security that you are leaving France permanently – and return your carte vitale if you have one. If you do not, you may be liable for any benefits you receive to which you are no longer entitled.

More mundane tasks involve informing utility and water companies, your internet provider, if you have one, the phone company, your insurance companies, banks – and La Poste, who will be able to forward your mail for up to 12 months, for a fee…

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