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Taxe de Sejour - be honest!


Cassis

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We've just received our first demand for Taxe de Sejour payments from the local tourist authority /Tresor Public.  We seem to be charged 50 cents per person per night.  Is this common to all areas and what sort of rates do others charge?  Our area's charges start at 20 cents and rise depending on the rating of your gite or B&B.

Also, the form they have sent asks to list details of every stay - date, name, no. adults, no. children, number of nights, whether we claim the stay is exempt of the tax (includes visits by commercial travellers, people with army pensions, people on social security, etc.) - looks like an admin nightmare!    Does anyone else fill this in properly, or do you just state the number of visitor nights susceptible to the tax?

Given that the only traceable record of stays is cheques, one might think that some people might be tempted not register all cash transactions ....

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The tax is set by the commune, and varies according to how and whether it is charged. Our commune doesn't charge the tax, so I can't really help you - but can of course be perfectly honest.

I suppose it would be possible to cross-check the amount decalred on your income tax form with the declaration for taxe de sejour, but I don't know if even the French would bother.

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I think we'll just give them a total number of nights, pay the tax and see what happens .... for 2005 I don't even have all the info the form seems to request and in 2006 I don't want to have to keep a detailed running record of how many soldiers and sales reps visit, whether people on on benefits etc. if I don't have to.  I wonder what they use this money for? 

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[quote user="Teamedup"]

far too many personal details [/quote]

My thoughts exactly.  Have you ever had the amount you pay queried?  i.e. have they asked for proof?  I can't see how one could prove anything except by reference to bank details, and obviously they don't include every transaction.

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Taxe de séjour is simply a tax on tourists who use your place to stay

at. The tax is then suppposed to go on prettying up your commune, town

or city.

Many small communes simply don't bother to levy it. The cost is based

on the number of epis (G de Fr) number of stars (hotels, camping) etc

etc. We have paid it on just 1 out of 3 places we have had, in which

we opened to tourism. We never ever had a form, which wanted so much

detail though ! Just a simple form asking number of persons and number

of nights and at which grade (some G de Fr places have 2 and 3 epis rooms for instance)

Personally I wouldn't take a chance in trying to get away with offering

less than taken, one really never knows when it might just be looked in to,

possibly never but........

One is actually meant to add it on to a clients bill, many hotels

and campings, charge it to their guests seperately at the end of their stay. All the

B&B owners I know, who are billed by the persons concerned in

collecting said tax (it varies as well, to who is liable to collect it)

simply add it in to the nightly price and pay the tax themselves at the

end of each year.

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The ledger we had from the Marie, must have cost as much to print as we paid in. We had to pay twice yearly to the Tresor Public and last time received a form asking for all details of each person staying. Seemed totally unnecessary for the amount collected and the amount of time involved. When we took the last lot back no-one knew what to do with them.Our rate was only 25c P.P. per Day.

Regards. By St.Malo

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I'm tempted to wait and see if we get a reminder - I know for a fact that the French lady who has a gite on the other dside of the village does not pay hers - she says she just ignores it and has done for years! 

But if push comes to shove we'll just fill in how many nights and send a cheque - life's too short for the amount of unnecessary detail - what would the Tresor do with all that info, for goodness sake?!?

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In some ways that makes it simpler. We are required to keep a register, the tax is 0.70€ per person per night for stays 1st june to 30th september.

Children dont pay or war wounded, goverment workers in the course of work and people on benefits. Families also get a reduction 30% for 3 children ,40% for 4, 50% for 5 ,and 75% for 6

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We don't have to pay - our commune doesn't levy it - and we are in same dept, albeit at other end to Alan.  Alan, does that mean that all your French guests either have 'war wounds' or are visiting on a top secret Government mission??[;)][;)] And can families with 6 children ever afford to go on holiday?  No wonder they said it wasn't worth collecting it when I asked at the mairie!

Maggi

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[:D] Maggii

Of course all my guest have at least 6 children ( if they dont then we give them our two for therestay to keep the numbers up), i am suprised that i dont have to take photos of the war wounds and of course requests copies of guests benefits to attached to the register, as if you would even asked if somebody was on benefit.[:$] To be honest we dont currently charge guests the tax, i have not increase my prices in the last 3 years but will most likely review them for next year.

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  • 2 weeks later...
[quote user="Alan"]

Children dont pay or war wounded, goverment workers in the course of work and people on benefits. Families also get a reduction 30% for 3 children ,40% for 4, 50% for 5 ,and 75% for 6

[/quote]

Thanks for all the feedback - much appreciated.  The scheme that Alan's area operates sounds as if it's designed to be as complex and unworkable as possible - and it's exactly the same as ours!

Phil

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