AI finds over 20,000 undeclared private pools and Treasury takes note

Our neighbor to the north, France, has a problem with swimming pools. Or rather, all those thousands of owners who did not notify the relevant authorities that they were going to do so. What France gives, France takes.

Swimming pools can lead to higher property taxes as they increase property values.and must be declared under French law (Spanish is the same), so the Ministry of Finance punishes those owners who do not notify that they have a pool at home.

And after experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI), more than 20,000 dark pools were discovered. French media reports that this resulted in the payment of taxes of around 10 million euros.

Software developed by Google and French consulting firm Capgemini has detected puddles in aerial photographs. from nine French regions during trials conducted in October 2021.

The regions Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhone, Ardèche, Rhone, Haute-Savoie, Vendée, Maine and Loire and Morbihan were part of the test, but the tax authorities say it can now be extended to the entire territory. world.country.

In 2020, there were over 3.2 million private pools in France. According to the Statista website, sales have been on the rise since before the Covid pandemic. And with more and more workers working from home, pool installations have increased.

According to the BBC, in France the average 30 square meter swimming pool is taxed at 200 euros per year.

The French Treasury explained that a computer program could be used to detect extensions to the house.patios or undeclared gazebos, which are also subject to property tax.

The move came after Julien Baiou of France’s Europe-Greens party did not rule out a ban on new private pools. His comments come at a time when France is experiencing its worst drought on record.leaving more than 100 municipalities without drinking water.