Over 100,000 unreported swimming pools discovered

Collected tax fraud of more than 15 billion

The presentation by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal of the year of the fight against tax and social fraud in France is timely. On the same day, the executive began to panic because of the 2023 deficit that was higher than forecast and that could reach 5.3% (compared to the expected 4.9%).

Unfortunately, it is not the results of the fight against fraud that will fill the state coffers. If Gabriel Attal is happy to collect a historic amount of 15.2 billion euros in tax fraud in 2023, an increase of 600 million euros compared to 2022, we are far from an estimate of more than 50 billion euros in annual tax fraud. And this is without counting the tax optimization of big companies and billionaires. In 2023, for example, LVMH, the luxury giant of Bernard Arnault, the world’s richest man, permanently escaped prosecution for tax fraud after an agreement with the Ministry of Economy.

Social benefit fraud remains largely in the minority

Data released by the government on tax fraud in France confirms once again that social fraud, although recognized as a scourge for France by some right-wing parties, is very much in the minority. Only 1.1 billion euros were collected in 2023 for social fraud.

If the level reaches a record and crosses one billion for the first time, Social fraud represents only one-fifteenth of the amount.

And in detail, we note that the fraud weight is even lower in the benefits paid by the Family Allowance Fund (CAF): 400 million euros. ” We now detect an average of 8,000 euros per file of fraud compared to an average of 7,200 euros per file in 2022. », underlines Gabriel Atal. But it represents less than one-thirtieth of the total amount.

Tax fraud: 140,000 hidden swimming pools found in France

On the other hand, the wealthiest families do not hesitate to cheat. In 2023 alone, thanks to new tax discovery methods, Bursey teams have discovered no fewer than 140,000 unreported swimming pools. And this would be just the beginning because, we could not find all the swimming pools that the owners do not disclose to the tax authorities. To pay less property tax or avoid real estate wealth tax (IFI).

This new type of investigation will continue into 2024, using cross-referenced data and satellite information, among other things.

How many swimming pools will be invented in 2024? We will have to wait until 2025 to find out. But in any case, the fishing is likely to improve, Bercy’s new equipment showing their effectiveness.