-
La Voie Bleue: European Cycle Route of the Year is in France
700km bike path linking Luxembourg and Lyon has been crowned winner of the 2026 title
-
Before and after: Garonne river floods in south-west France
Satellite images show extent of flooding from back-to-back storms in February
-
Home insurance increases expected in France after floods
Compensation costs for the recent storms and flooding across the west and south-west is estimated to be in the billions of euros
July 1 plan for new carbon tax
Nicolas Sarkozy sets new deadline for tax on petrol, heating fuel and polluting businesses to come into force
THE GOVERNMENT has set a new deadline of July 1 to bring in a tax on petrol, heating fuel and polluting businesses - six months after originally planned.
The taxe carbone should have begun on January 1 but was scrapped by the constitutional court just days before.
The judges threw it out because it included too many exemptions and was too lenient on some of France's most polluting industries.
Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed that a newly redrafted version of the tax will be presented to parliament on January 20. It is not expected to be voted until after the regional elections in March.
According to Les Echos, none of the changes to the tax will affect households. They will see four or five centimes added to the price of a litre of fuel and a similar rise in gas prices, as the original taxe carbone proposed. The amendments will affect certain businesses, including farmers and lorry drivers.
