Fraud and tax evasion: a French tolerance rooted in centuries of history?

2023-05-13T13:47:44.953Z

Highlights: Under the Ancien Régime, all the French sought to eat away at the tax authorities with a good conscience. To dive into the history of tax fraud is to shed light on the feelings that the French have for the State. In a Latin country like France, tax evasion has long enjoyed a certain benevolence. For centuries, it was the work of the working classes, the priority target of taxation. At the time of the monarchy, the principle of equality before taxation was unknown. The role of custom and a certain...

GRAND RÉCIT - Under the Ancien Régime, all the French sought to eat away at the tax authorities with a good conscience. To dive into the history of tax fraud is to shed light on the feelings that the French have for the State.

"Every tax fraud is serious, but that of the most powerful is unforgivable," said the Minister Delegate for Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, who intends to "make pay what they owe to the ultra-rich and multinationals who defraud". As soon as the public authorities introduced taxes and duties, the taxpayer was tempted to hide his income and property from the tax authorities. In a Latin country like France, characterized by a flexible relationship with the law, tax evasion has long enjoyed a certain benevolence. For centuries, it was the work of the working classes, the priority target of taxation under the Ancien Régime.

At the time of the monarchy, the principle of equality before taxation was unknown. The rights and duties of each depended on the order, the province, the parish, the trade to which he belonged. Taxation, which was very complex, varied from one city or even from one rural community to another. The role of custom and a certain...

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Source: lefigaro

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