France: property tax rises as EU Parliament vote sparks fuel-price row
French households face rising financial pressure this autumn — the 2026 property tax (taxe foncière) continues to climb, while a European Parliament vote has triggered a dispute over whether an expanded EU emissions trading scheme will raise fuel prices from 2028.
Property tax rises across France
In 2026, France's property tax (taxe foncière) increased for all owners by at least the rate of inflation — 0.8% — since the cadastral rental values used to calculate the tax were revalued by that amount. In some municipalities the increase is even higher, as they also raised their own local tax rate. According to the newspaper La République des Pyrénées, out of 34,841 French municipalities, 4,731 (13%) decided to raise their rate this year. The paper published a comparison table for 535 municipalities in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.
Most owners who did not opt for monthly payments received their tax notices at the end of August. The 37% of France's 34 million taxpayers who pay monthly will receive theirs on September 19. The published figures cover only the municipal share of the tax on built property and do not reflect the full bill, which also depends on the rate set by the intermunicipal authority.
Dispute over fuel prices in the European Parliament
Separately, a dispute erupted over a September 15 vote in the European Parliament. Jordan Bardella, leader of the Rassemblement National, claimed on X that supporters of President Emmanuel Macron and left-wing lawmakers voted "FOR ETS2" — the EU's emissions trading scheme expansion — which he said would raise pump prices by 15 cents per liter starting in 2028.
Left-wing MEPs, including Hadrien Clouet and Manon Aubry, countered that Bardella had confused the timeline: the core ETS2 legislation was actually adopted on April 18, 2023, when France Insoumise — like Bardella himself — voted against it. The September 15 vote concerned not ETS2 itself but its "market stability reserve," a mechanism meant to cushion price swings; it passed 467-158, with 41 abstentions. Bardella voted against it, while Manon Aubry abstained rather than opposed.
ETS2 extends carbon pricing to building heating and road transport fuel starting in 2028. According to Le HuffPost, France's Court of Auditors estimated in 2024 that ETS2 could raise fuel prices by 10-11%, though it called the impact "highly uncertain"; the precise 15-cent figure depends on the future price per ton of carbon and is hard to forecast. The European Commission has pledged to intervene if the carbon price exceeds €45 per ton, and a Social Climate Fund has been set up to help vulnerable households. Moreover, France itself has not yet ratified the ETS2 directive — the government postponed the step in 2025, fearing protests reminiscent of the 'Yellow Vests' movement, and no ratification timeline currently exists.
