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Britons who have second homes in France have been described as a \u201csoft target\u201d for the nation\u2019s government, who are looking to increase taxes on additional properties.<\/p>\n
A minimum increase in residency tax, similar to council tax in the UK, will be raised to 7.1 percent according to the latest announcements, a move that will affect more than 80,000 Britons.<\/p>\n
But 3,399 councils have also been given permission to apply a surcharge, which means this figure could be much higher and rise by up to 60 percent for some.<\/p>\n
These new laws have forced Britons to consider selling their second properties in France to avoid the high costs.<\/p>\n
Paris-based Journalist David Chazan, who suggested French President Emmanuel Macron believes Britain \u201cmust bear the consequences\u201d of Brexit, said there was unlikely to be any sympathy for those facing this new charge.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> ‘We may have to sell our French home after Macron’s second home tax raid'[REVEAL] <\/strong><\/p>\n Mr Chazan, speaking to GB News, said: \u201cThey are a soft target. No one is going to feel sorry for those who have got enough money to afford a second home.<\/p>\n \u201cSecond home owners are also not the kind of people who are going to stage the street protests that are so common in France. So, this is a way of raising money.\u201d<\/p>\n While the residency tax had already caused anger, the discretionary powers to add a tax surcharge of anything from five to 60 percent now given to local councils has caused more fury.<\/p>\n The policy has been extended to rural areas as well as towns and villages.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/Paris-based-Journalist-David-Chazan-said-there-was-unlikely-to-be-any-sympathy-from-France-4940821.jpg?r=1693735563331\")
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