Undeclared swimming pools, family allowances, false work stoppages… The spectacular figures of tax and social fraud

by time news

2024-03-20 22:29:26

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal presented this Wednesday the 2023 results of the government’s plan to combat tax and social fraud. A few key figures are worth remembering.

Results “historical”. The fight against tax and social fraud, carried as a standard by Gabriel Attal since his time at the Ministry of Public Accounts, is bearing fruit, if we are to believe the 2023 results of the government’s fight plan, presented this Wednesday by the first minister at Bercy. “We have never tracked fraud so much”, affirmed the tenant of Matignon, alongside his Minister of Public Accounts, Thomas Cazenave. Here are the key figures to remember about fraud in France last year.

15.2 billion euros in tax fraud recovery

It’s a “historic record” : in terms of tax fraud, 15.2 billion euros were recovered in 2023, i.e. 600 million euros more than in 2022, and even 3.5 billion more than in 2019. “Last year we increased tax audits by 25%”particularly on the largest assets, declared Gabriel Attal, specifying that the executive’s commitment for 2027 was “held and even exceeded”. “The number of tax raids increased by 30%”added the Prime Minister.

140,000 undeclared swimming pools detected by AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere today, including in the fight against fraud. The tax administration uses it in particular to flush out undeclared private pools. “Thanks to it, 140,000 swimming pools have been detected and which will allow our communities to collect 40 million euros in property tax”, indicated Thomas Cazenave. The taxpayers concerned thus received an email or letter from the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) inviting them to regularize their situation, by declaring their swimming pool and paying taxes. The Minister of Public Accounts also declared that AI would also be used in the future, notably, “to identify all undeclared buildings”.

More than 1 billion euros in social benefit fraud

This is also a historic figure: social benefit fraud has exceeded one billion euros in recovery in 2023 (1.1 billion). In detail, they reach 450 million euros in the scope of Health Insurance. She is “in seven out of ten cases at the initiative of a health professional, by overbilling or invoicing for fictitious acts”, specified Gabriel Attal. Regarding family allowances, fraud amounts to 400 million euros, knowing that in one year the Family Allowance Funds (CAF) have increased their controls by a third. “We are now detecting fraud of an average amount of 8,000 euros per file, compared to 7,200 euros per file on average in 2022”, specified Gabriel Attal. On old age insurance, 200 million euros of fraud were detected last year.

5 million euros in false work stoppages

In May 2023, Gabriel Attal, then Minister of Public Accounts, presented his plan to combat social fraud. In its viewfinder in particular: “false work stoppages sold for a few dozen euros on social networks like Snapchat”. This Wednesday, the man who has since become prime minister indicated that his administration had “identified 5 million euros of false work stoppages sold on the internet”. False prescriptions are also a real phenomenon, since they represented 11 million euros in 2023.

21 health centers deregulated

The news caused a stir last July: Health Insurance had decided to deregister thirteen health centers from the Alliance Vision group. It was the first time that the fund carried out such a large-scale deregulation, concerning an entire network of health centers, accused of “invoicing of fictitious acts and repeated non-compliance with the rules for listing and invoicing of acts”.

In total, last year, 21 health centers were deregulated in 2023, indicated Gabriel Attal, “and we will continue in 2024”he added. “New actions have already been launched, particularly with regard to centres d’audioprothèses , with 160 checks in progress. Others are planned »detailed the Prime Minister.

750 fraudulent pension files abroad

Another hobbyhorse of Gabriel Attal, the fight against fraud linked to pensions paid abroad. Last May, the one who was still only a minister had targeted Algeria in particular: on “500,000 retirees outside Europe, 300,000 reside in Algeria”, he pointed out. Result, “we have doubled the checks on retirees residing abroad, and we detected 750 fraudulent files in Algeria alone last year”the Prime Minister announced this Wednesday.

70 apprenticeship contracts in a single hairdressing salon

Aid for energy renovation, Personal Training Account (CPF), ecological bonus, apprenticeship aid… Public aid paid by the government is numerous, and is a gold mine for fraudsters. “This is why we have strengthened measures to fight against the misappropriation of aid”recalled Thomas Cazenave, citing an example of fraud linked to aid to employers of work-study students: “A hairdressing salon was able to declare 70 apprenticeship contracts for a loss of 100,000 euros, while the law provides for a maximum of two apprentices (per apprentice master), which allowed us to take legal action”told the successor of Gabriel Attal to Public Accounts.


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