A viral video claiming that French people getting on a flight to a non-EU destination will be subjected to stricter tax controls has spurred outrage. However, this measure is nonexistent.

Paris

A viral video on TikTok has claimed that French citizens travelling outside the European Union will be automatically reported to tax authorities and subjected to stricter tax controls upon their return. The video alleges the existence of an 'Automatic Travel Verification System' and cites major French news outlets and government ministries as sources.

However, investigations have found no evidence of such a measure. French ministries and reputable media outlets have not reported on any new travel-related tax controls. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, responsible for tax matters, has confirmed that the claims are false. The TikTok account behind the video has also been found to spread other misinformation, further undermining its credibility.

Will travelling outside the EU subject French to stricter tax audits?

Will French people travelling outside the EU be subjected to stricter tax controls? A video has gone viral on TikTok that claims that any French person travelling outside the EU from September this year will automatically be reported to the country's tax authorities and subjected to stricter controls. It has garnered 1.5 million views. It states that when someone boards a plane in France to leave Europe, they are signing up for an automatic tax audit upon their return. People's passport data will reportedly be cross-checked with income declarations. If they don't comply with requests for extra info, this is followed by stricter checks on income, a possible summons and a fine of up to €10,000. The author refers to this new procedure as the Automatic Travel Verification System. The video was published by the TikTok account PassionsMondialFR, which claims to offer daily information and news and has 17.5 thousand followers. The video has sparked outrage among thousands of internet users. One person said, Welcome to the new North Korea, while another said this was more than harassment. However, the claims made about such a new measure in France are false. The author says that the news was announced by the Interior Ministry and then picked up by reputable news organisations, including BFMTV, Le Parisien and France Info. But searches for such reports from these media and other well-known media yielded nothing and no information can be found about such a measure on any French ministry website. Moreover, tax issues and controls are the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, not the Interior Affairs. Another clear sign this is fake news. A spokesperson for this ministry confirmed here or verified that the claims made in the video were fake and that no such measure is being introduced in France. Finally, a look at the other content on the TikTok channel behind this video is further proof that the content is not to be trusted. Several videos feature AI-generated presenters. Other videos make fake claims, for example, that low-income households have to justify shopping for over 100 euros.

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