The LR deputy for Oise, Éric Woerth, proposes that the owners of second homes vote twice in municipal elections.
The reason ?
Because they will be "
the only ones to pay the housing tax
", he declared on the occasion of the Republicans' summer schools which are held in La Baule (44).
"
Strengthening democracy also means changing our modes of participation,
" said the former Minister of the Budget (2007-2010) on his Twitter account.
To discover
EXCLUSIVE - Our 2021 list of countries to go to live in retirement
Are you rich?
Discover the new
Figaro
simulator
But Eric Woerth forgets to specify in his tweet that this singularity will only occur in 2023. In fact, currently, in addition to owners of second homes, some owners of main residences continue to pay housing tax.
These are the top 20%.
For the remaining 80%, in accordance with Emmanuel Macron's commitments during the 2017 presidential campaign, the housing tax has been completely abolished this year.
Read also800,000 households forced to repay housing tax
Not only do owners of second homes continue to pay housing tax, the bill is getting steeper in some cities.
To compensate for the shortfall linked to the abolition of the housing tax for main residences and the impact of the health crisis, several municipalities do not hesitate to overtax second homes, numbering 3.6 million in France. in 2020 according to INSEE (9.9% of total housing).
Latest example to date?
Lyon, where the surcharge will drop from 20% to 60%, the maximum allowed by law.
Read alsoWhy overtaxing second homes is so tempting
Eric Woerth comes out of the closet an idea submitted a year ago by the iFrap Foundation. The liberal think-tank started from the principle that overtaxing the owners of second homes is all the easier since they generally do not vote on the spot. However, if we reintroduce a postal vote, the question of plural voting in local elections could come back to the table. The question is all the more sensitive because, in other political currents, germinates the idea of prohibiting non-residents from the acquisition of residences. Breton ecologists submitted the idea to the last regional elections. In vain.
