France vows to pursue biggest tax cheats

The French government is planning to increase enforcement of taxation controls and to toughen penalties for tax evasion, with a fresh focus on combating major fraud. The number of inspections of the country’s biggest businesses will be increased by 25% by the end of the second presidential term of Emmanuel Macron in 2027, and the country’s authorities are expected to conduct tax audits of the 100 largest companies on the stock market every other year. Additionally, a new tax intelligence service is to be set up under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with a hundred “elite agents” to be hired in the fight against major tax fraud at international level. According to the latest data, anti-tax fraud measures have helped to claim a return of €14.6 billion (almost $16 billion) to the treasury, an increase of 8.2% compared to 2021.