Many reasons for a second home
I write in response to the “sorry if you can afford a second home you can afford to pay taxes” comment that has been voiced over the proposal to raise property tax for holiday homes.
As usual, sweeping statements like this put all second home owners in the same bracket.
It is important to remember that many “second homes” in France are in reality houses that have belonged to a family, sometimes for several generations, and that are kept up at a certain cost in order to maintain the family’s (often very modest) heritage.
Being an owner means being responsible.
In doing this, descendants keep the memory of their ancestors alive while at the same time making a real contribution to the environment of many small villages throughout France that may otherwise fall into ruin.
Other second homes may be a project for retirement by a couple with very modest means who cannot afford to stay on the Ile-de-France when they retire for example.
I am sure that the vast majority of second home owners fall into this kind of category and it is worrying that the government may force people to abandon either their property or their land through heavy taxation and make it impossible to transmit the hard-earned fruit of their lives to their children and grandchildren.
Jenny LAMBERT, by email
