‘We may have to sell our French home after Macron’s second home tax raid’

Emmanuel Macron’s tax grab will hit second home owners in France (Image: Getty) Emmanuel Macron ‘s tax raid on second home owners in France may force a British couple to sell their 15th century holiday home. Creative director Simon Amster, 55, and his TV executive wife Asha, 48, bought the five-bedroom house in the village of Sauveterre-de-Bearn near Biarritz for £42,000 (50,000 euros) eight years ago. Currently, the couple from Lewes, East Sussex, pay £1,198 (1,400 euros) in annual property taxes, but they are among 86,000 British households with second homes who now face a tax rise due to the French president’s latest reforms. Mr Amster told Mail Online : “Macron’s tax hikes have made us consider selling. All these additional costs mean our second home, which used to be a source of pleasure, is now a source of worry.” The French government has given thousands of local authorities the power to apply council tax surcharges of up to 60 percent on second homes. Mr Macron this year scrapped council tax for all homeowners who live in their property, but any with furnished second homes lived in for only part of the year still have to pay. A total of 1,136 communes, which are equivalent to civil parishes in Britain, can currently apply council tax hikes. But sweeping changes mean another 2,263 communes will be offered the power and have until October to decide if they want to use it. If they do, they will be able to increase the tax anywhere from five percent to 60 perccent with any increases likely to come into effect in 2024. A street of medieval houses in the Dordogne (Image: Getty) Mr Amster said there is “a lot of uncertainty” about how badly the taxes will affect him and his partner, but they are expecting “quite a big jump” of about 20 percent. He described the situation as a “first world problem” which turned what used to feel like “a relatively affordable” holiday into something which is now “a serious financial concern”. There are already 156 communes in Brittany given the green light to hike the residence tax. The surcharge applies in areas where the housing market is under pressure and locals struggle to buy or rent homes in a scheme aimed at discouraging second home ownership. Macron with his wife Brigitte Macron outside the Elysee Palace (Image: Getty) Jason Porter, a director at Blevins Franks, said what is happening in France mirrors UK local councils hiking taxes on second homes to free up properties for locals. He told the Telegraph : “France has introduced sweeping changes to its property tax system, aimed at charging owners of vacant, unfurnished and second homes new or additional taxes. “Particularly in areas where the government sees a significant imbalance between supply and demand, often impacting those areas which might be deemed ‘touristy’.” The tax hike is yet another blow to Britons post- Brexit . British expats with holiday homes in France can already no longer stay in the country for more than 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. This means when a homeowner has stayed in France for 90 days, they then have to leave and are unable to return for another 90 days.