Many French people receive this text message from the tax office: it is official and it is best to read it.
"Hello, remember to declare your income on impots.gouv.fr. Need help? Call 0809401402 (non-premium rate call). General Directorate of Public Finances." Many French people have received or will receive this text message. But with so many texts arriving all day long, and most of them being scams, is this tax message genuine? The question arises as many victims continue to fall for it.
Rest assured: if you have received this message or if you receive it in the coming days, don't worry, it's a real alert from the DGFiP. The Public Treasury confirmed this to Linternaute . This is a reminder campaign to remind the French to "do their taxes." A welcome reminder as the first deadlines approach. "It is sent to taxpayers who have not yet validated their declaration and whose telephone number we know," specifies the Bercy, which is therefore urging some of them to complete the process.
Because soon, it will be too late for a large portion of households. May 20th will be the deadline to send, by post, their paper declaration regardless of the department of residence. Furthermore, French people living abroad must also complete the form, in paper or digital form, before this date. Finally, all those living in departments numbered 1 to 19 have until May 22nd at 11:59 p.m. to complete their declaration online. All people residing in these situations and who received this SMS from the DGFiP must therefore hurry to send their declaration to the tax authorities.
Afterwards, it will still be possible, but a fine will be imposed, increasing the amount of tax you will have to pay. Failure to comply with this obligation may result in financial penalties imposed by the DGFiP.
If your tax return is filed late but voluntarily within a reasonable time after the deadline, a 10% surcharge will be applied to the amount of tax due. If the tax authorities send you a formal notice, this surcharge will increase to 20% or 40% depending on the timeframe within which you rectify your situation. In addition, late payment interest of 0.2% per month will be added.
For example, if a person files a tax return a few days late and owes €1,000 in taxes, they will ultimately have to pay €1,102 due to their delay. If that same person files their tax return two months after the deadline following a formal notice, they will have to pay a total of €1,204. So watch your calendar!
L'Internaute
