Our French property tax trebled - we won appeal but new bill repeats the error

To the Editor,

Last year our taxe foncière on a property we own in Creuse increased from €224 to €680.

The house is still being renovated and has no fosse septique, bathroom or kitchen. 

The problem appears to have arisen because the Impôts [tax office] attached a 2004 planning application for the other house we own in the hamlet to this property. That work never started.

We went to the tax office in Aubusson, who sent us to Guéret, about 30km away. After waiting there for an hour and a half, we picked up a form that we were told to deliver to Aubusson. 

We completed an H1 form and submitted the required documents.

After hearing nothing, we went back and were told there was no record of our claim. We therefore had to submit everything again, this time online.

Eventually the assessment was corrected and we received a refund of around €400.

However, this year's bill has now arrived -  and it is once more €688.

Apparently the paperwork had not made its merry way through the system.

We submitted the H1 form in May, so we understand that these things can take time to process. 

But it is frustrating that the assessment had still not been corrected before the new taxe foncière bill was issued, particularly as the tax office had several months to update its records.

We now appear to have to go through the process again to obtain another refund.
RS, Creuse

Have you faced a similar problem with taxe foncière? Share it with us at letters@connexionfrance.com