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LIVING IN FRANCE

Taxes, savings, and hunting rules: 6 essential articles for life in France

Taxes coming your way if you plan to extend your home, or if you merely live in a particular area of the country, why a Livret A savings account might be a good idea, EU support, and the government’s 14-point hunting plan all feature in this week’s round-up of The Local’s essential articles

Published: 15 January 2023 09:52 CET
Taxes, savings, and hunting rules: 6 essential articles for life in France
(Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP)

If you live in particular areas of southwest France, and we know there are a fair few English speakers in that neck of the woods, there’s something you need to know, because households in the area face an extra property tax in 2023, in order to fund the new high-speed rail line.

Here are the details of the new tax and who will be affected by it.

Homeowners in south west France to pay extra property taxes to fund new rail line

Speaking of taxes… Are you planning to build an extension or get a swimming pool installed in your French home? If you are, you’re likely looking at rising costs for materials and labour due to inflation – and taxes.

In France there is a one-off tax that has to be paid on certain building works, and the government has just raised the rate. We explain here.

Property taxes: How much will it cost to extend your French home?

If you open a French bank account, you may also be offered a Livret A saving’s account – here’s what that means and why it might be a good time to open one, with interest rates expected to rise in February.

What is a Livret A and should foreigners living in France open one?

Changing the subject a bit, there has been a significant decline in support for leaving the European Union within all member states following the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote, according to a new survey by the European Social Survey.

Public support in Europe for leaving EU collapses since Brexit, new survey shows

You may have heard that France is braced for a spot of “social unrest” in early 2023 as president Emmanuel Macron vows to push ahead with highly unpopular pension reforms – but just how good do the French have it when it comes to pensions?

How does France’s pension age of 62 compare to the rest of Europe?

With the stated goal of “zero hunting accidents,” France’s junior environment minister, Bérangère Couillard, has unveiled 14 measures the country plans to take in order to make hunting safer for the more-than one million people who take part in hunts every year in France – and the rest of us.

Alcohol limits, training days and an app: How France plans to make hunting safer

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

France has strict regulations about washing your car, and failure to abide by these can lead to hefty fines.

Published: 31 May 2024 14:59 CEST
Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

For many car owners, warm weather means time to finally give the vehicle a good wash.

But motorists in France should know that washing your car, motorcycle or other vehicle at home can actually be against the law in France – with some regulation even covering activities in your own driveway or garden.

Failing to respect the rules can lead to hefty fines. 

What does the law say?

There are two levels of regulation that affect car-washing – the Environmental Code and local regulations, but both of them are concerned about the same thing; the environmental impact of the runoff from your car washing.

During summer you also need to check if there are any drought restrictions in place, as some of these also ban any type of car-washing. 

In 1979, Paris became one of the first cities in France to pass legislation restricting where you can wash your car. The original Paris law states “Car washing is prohibited on the public highway, riverbanks, harbours and quays, as well as in public parks and gardens”. 

READ MORE: ‘Drive like a woman’: France targets male drivers in new road safety campaign

Since then, most départements across France have adopted similar decrees, which cover car-washing on public land – roads, pavements, parks or similar.

In order to find the rules in your area, contact your local préfecture (or ask the mayor), but most areas now have a ban on car-washing on the public highway, with a penalty of a third-class fine of €450. 

However there is also the Environmental Code, which operates on a national level, and that can cover even your own private property such as a driveway, garage or garden.

The Code states that “direct or indirect discharge of harmful substances into surface or groundwater is prohibited”.

This can affect wastewater from washing a vehicle as certain chemicals in car wash detergents, as well as any runoff motor oil, can have negative effects on local flora and fauna. Runoff can happen from both public and private land, which is why the Environmental Code has a wider scope.

Violating the rules on discharging harmful substances into water carries a maximum penalty of a two-year prison sentence or a fine of €75,000. Judges can also order defendants to carry out restoration of the environment that they contaminated.

The penalties are even harsher if you live in a coastal area where the runoff would go directly into the sea or ocean, or if you live next to a conservation zone. In this case, fines can go up to €100,000.

We should point out that these maximum penalties are more likely to be applied to companies which have been found to be polluting the local watercourse, rather than motorists washing their car, but the fines do have a large range.

So where can I wash my car?

First, you can go to a car wash (une station de lavage). Not only do car wash stations use less water than you would washing the vehicle at home (50 to 60 litres per vehicle instead of 200-300 litres at home), they also treat the wastewater. 

As a result, car washes do not risk polluting the waterways.

They are very common in France and include automatic car-washes, staffed car-washes where someone else does the hard work or the more common self-service type (usually coin operated) where you wash the car yourself use their pressure hoses and soap. These are often found in supermarket car-parks or at out-of-town shopping centre car parks.

Second, you can look for a designated car washing area. These would allow you to wash your own vehicle manually. They have special steps in place to treat the runoff water in compliance with environmental regulations. You can ask your mairie where these are located.

And finally, an alternative is to clean your car without using any water at all. To do this, you can purchase special wipes. There are also special dry-cleaning options, including sprays that you put onto your car, leave for a few seconds so that the dirt is absorbed, and then wipe off using a microfibre cloth.

Drought

During periods of drought, local authorities have the power to restrict non-essential water usage, including things like watering your garden or filling your swimming pool.

These regulations apply to any type of car-washing – on public or private space, or at a car-wash – and take precedence over any other local rules. 

You can check to see if your area is under water restrictions by going to the French government website vigieau.gouv.fr and typing in your home or rental address. The website will inform you of what (if any) restrictions are in place, the penalties of failing to respect them, as well as offering government advice for how to decrease your water usage.

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