1m households can't pay tax bill

INCOME tax demands are starting to drop into mailboxes across France - but authorities have said they expect to receive a spike in requests from cash-strapped households for additional time to pay.

According to business daily Les Echos, the requests for a “period of grace” have surged over the past two years.

Last year, authorities received 1.2million such requests.

According to the General Directorate of Public Finance, the number of applications for extra time to pay all or part of a tax bill has risen 20% between 2011 and 2013.

More than 80% of those applications were from individuals rather than businesses, with a 22% jump in requests on income tax bills, 14% for residential tax demands and 18% for the €131 licence fee.

The tax administration has said that it is preparing for another surge in requests this year.