Many French people fear the process of completing and validating their income tax return. However, for a significant number of taxpayers, the exercise has no impact on their budget. This is because less than half of French people actually pay income tax, with only 44.7% of tax households being subject to this obligation in 2023, according to figures from the Directorate General of Public Finances. This represents a decrease of 0.8 points from the previous year, with only 18.2 million out of 40.7 million tax households being taxed in this way. This is a stark contrast to the 60-65% ratio seen between 1975 and 1985.
Despite less than half of French people being involved in this specific obligation, there are other forms of mandatory deductions in France. Agnès Verdier-Molinié, director of the Ifrap foundation, highlights that there is also the generalized social contribution (CSG), which is essentially an income tax although it is often perceived as a social security contribution by citizens.
Various lists of memes, quotes, and examples seem to be randomly listed following the discussion of income tax in France.