New tax for recyclable rubbish

[Angie]

Hi, we have received a letter, not an actual bill or addressed to us personally, asking us to register in order to pay 128 euros a year for the new recycling tax that our small rural commune has agreed to. Can someone tell us if this is compulsory as the letter itself is a bit vague, but asks that registration should be made within one month. We already pay almost 4,000 euros annual property taxes and as we spend only 5 weeks in France a year am really annoyed at being asked to pay yet another additional amount for what I thought was already included in the 4,000 euro bill. To add insult to injury, the new proposed recycling bins are actually too far away for us to walk and we shall have to get the car out in any case!

[suein56]

It sounds fishy, possibly a scam. In your shoes my first call or visit would be to my closest neighbour or the Mairie.

Certainly do not complete the form before finding out whether it is for real or not.

Though it would help if you mentioned the region or department you live in - just in case anyone local to you has rec'd the same.

Here in 56 we have received nothing like that.

Sue

[woolybanana]

Sounds very, very fishy to me. Nothing like that here.

In my last commune there was a rubbish removal tax but that had been in existance for several years.

suein56 is quite right, head for the commune first.

[andyh4]

Any official tax will come on paper headed Republique Francais and will be addressed to you personally - it will not give you an option to pay, it will demand you pay by a specific date and will set out the penalties if you don't.

This has scam written all over it. Take it to the mairie, because there may be other more vulnerable people in your area who will be taken in by this.

[Judith]

Anything official will have a mairie or a french impots heading .. quite obvious.

However, our commune has started a new system of charging to encourage recycling - which is "free" but all bags of household rubbish are charged each time you put one in the bin - incentive pricing it is called.  However, even before you put a bag in the bin, there is a standing charge levied for the admin, upkeep etc, thus to encourage people to put things in bins ... they'll be charged a fixed up front cost whether they do or not ... it is too new to know whether we are better off under the new system or not, but since we recycle lots, and have a compost heap and burn what we can, we may well be better off - eventually.

[NormanH]

Angie if you could quote the name of the tax in French plus the number of the departma,tit would help to find any regulations that might be being brought in.

[EuroTrash]

Or it could be that your commune has made an arrangement with a private recycling company to provide a local recycling service, and the company is, as it says, inviting people to join their scheme if they wish. Which would explain why it's not addressed to you personally Obviously as a second home owner you're not going to want to, but depending what the service is, it may be attractive to full-timers. But without knowing who your letter is from, or what it says... Presumably it tells you who it's from, have you tried googling them?

[Angie]

Thanks everyone. Hi Norman, the title of the form we are being asked to complete is Contrat Abonnement Service de Collecte des dechets menagers and we are in Aude (11). The front of the document does have the Communaute de communes des Pyrenees Audoises (based in Quillan) stamp on it but as I say, its pretty vague and doesn't actually say whether its compulsory or voluntary (I would absolutely have no problem with a pay as you use scheme). However, I have just noticed that further down the "contract" it is saying that this also applies to household rubbish and what we are being asked to pay for is the collection of such rubbish from our commune and grants access to the dechetterie. As I said previously, surely this is already covered within our current property taxes and I doubt very much they are going to reduce these by a similar amount? I did try calling the number on the letter but this goes unanswered as have my emails.

[Cathar Tours]

[quote user="Angie"]Thanks everyone. Hi Norman, the title of the form we are being asked to complete is Contrat Abonnement Service de Collecte des dechets menagers and we are in Aude (11). The front of the document does have the Communaute de communes des Pyrenees Audoises (based in Quillan) stamp on it but as I say, its pretty vague and doesn't actually say whether its compulsory or voluntary (I would absolutely have no problem with a pay as you use scheme). However, I have just noticed that further down the "contract" it is saying that this also applies to household rubbish and what we are being asked to pay for is the collection of such rubbish from our commune and grants access to the dechetterie. As I said previously, surely this is already covered within our current property taxes and I doubt very much they are going to reduce these by a similar amount? I did try calling the number on the letter but this goes unanswered as have my emails.[/quote]

 

I am afraid this is happening across the whole of the region and we have had the same letters. People with businesses like restaurants, hotels etc. have been hit even harder with yet another tax on top. I visited my mayors office and these demands are legit and was told that out Tax d'habitation would be going down although I will believe that when I see it. The French are the masters of the art when it comes to taxation. I am sure they can get tax out of a stone to paraphrase.

[BJSLIV]

Most councils have gone over to a separate charge for collecting rubbish.

This link shows that consultations were afoot in your area and were mentioned in a document you probably received back then.

http://pyreneesaudoises.wix.com/ccpa#!lettre-dchets-mnagers-2015/cpqg

[Loiseau]

I have a separate bill for rubbish collection (also giving access to the fancy new déchéterie) each year from my communauté des communes. It was 79 euros last time.

It is nothing to do with the taxes fonciere and d'habitation.

Angela

[PaulT]

Angie, you should have realised it was official........

'I did try calling the number on the letter but this goes unanswered as have my emails.' :)

[NormanH]

On BSLIV's link they talk of

Redevance

Ordures Ménagères unifiée sur les territoires

de l’Axatois, du Pays de Sault et du « Quillan

Rural » prenant en compte une part fixe

(82

€

) et une part variable sur la base de la

composition du foyer (30

€

pour 1 personne,

60

€

pour 2 personnes et 99

€

pour 3 per-

sonnes et plus).

[mint]

So what incentive is that for recycling anything?

What a stupid scheme[+o(]

[BJSLIV]

It's not a tax on recycling it's just a charge for collecting the rubbish.

[pomme]

I have to pay an annual charge which gives me 12 non-recyclable collections/year. Over that there is an additional charge for each collection.

Non-recyclable waste is charged by weight - they provided a smallish (120l bin) and know the weight of it. The bin has a lock so neighbors can't sneak rubbish in. They won't collect from open bins or bins they haven't provided.

I have to package recyclable plastic and paper in yellow bags for collection and to take bottle, etc to a bottle bank.

We did have a year or so where they used the system, but just charged the old fixed rate, but sent out example bills to show what would have been charged.

[Angie]

What I don't understand is how the system is going to work. Our village is quite touristy and there are rubbish bins provided in the centre; assume the tourists will just put their rubbish in the bins free of charge whereby we have to pay extra. I don't think separate households are going to be provided with lockable bins but I do think there is a connection to recycling as several new bins have popped up around the commune recently but how charging people to recycle is going to encourage it is beyond me.

[pomme]

I don't get charged to recycle. The locked, weighed bin is the one with the unrecyclable waste.

Collection of recyclable paper/plastics/metals in yellow bags is free. Putting glass in the recycling bins in the village is free.

Larger items and other items have to go to the local dechetterie and the is an annual charge for access (even if not used).

[Doodle]

Angie, we received a letter and brochure a couple of months ago. Is this what you are referring to? I was trying to pay on-line but it didn't work at that point in time, visited the local Tresor to pay by cheque as I would normally do only to be told that they no longer take the payment and it had to be posted to Rennes!

http://www.mayenne-communaute.net/a-votre-service/dechets/payer-sa-facture-redevance-incitative/

Mrs KG

[Angie]

Thanks all. Have finally received an email response, it reads:

""Depuis le 1er janvier 2016, la REOM (Redevance pour l’Enlèvement des Ordures Ménagères) remplace la TEOM (Taxe d’Enlèvement des Ordures Ménagères). Pour rappel, la TEOM était prélevée sur la taxe foncière.

Ce n’est plus le cas depuis cette année.

Il ne s’agit en aucun cas d’une taxe supplémentaire, le service est payé différemment. Vous recevrez une facture.

Pour rappel, la REOPM permet de financer le service d’élimination des déchets (collecte, camion benne, personnel, déchetterie, traitement …).""

So it seems we have to pay it. Thanks all for your responses, much appreciated as always

[NormanH]

But it suggests that your taxe foncière might go down, since the rubbish collection is no longer bundled in with it ....

[Angie]

Let's hope so!! Thanks all