Anyone who owns property in France – whether they live in it full time or keep it as a second home – will shortly be receiving their annual taxe foncière bill.

This is the tax paid by property owners, and remains in place even as the taxe d’habitation – the tax paid by occupiers – is being gradually phased out for most people.

But as bills arrive over the next few weeks, many people will notice a steep increase on last year’s bill. 

All bills will see a 7.1 percent increase – which is due to how inflation has affected rents, since the rentable value of your property forms part of the calculation (which is why adding an extension or a swimming pool will increase your annual tax bill).

But in some areas the increase is more than 7.1 percent – since local authorities have the power to increase the standard tax rate in their area, and this can represent a big hike.

Those living in the area with the largest increase will see their bills increase by a whopping 59 percent compared to mast year, while some areas have opted against any increase – leaving just the basic rate of 7.1 percent. 

The place with the biggest increase is Paris – where the total increase (the local rate increase combined with the national 7.1 percent increase) is 59 percent. Many of the other communes that have the highest increases are suburbs of Paris including Bobigny, Noisy-le-Sec and Drancy. 

Here are the places with the highest year-on-year increase (in percent);

• Paris –  59
• Meudon – 42.2
• Grenoble – 31.5
• Bobigny – 25.6
• Troyes – 21.5
• Livry-Gargan – 21.2
• Metz – 20.5
• Courbevoie – 20.1
• Issy-les-Moulineaux – 19.6
• Corbeil-Essonnes – 18.4
• Limoges – 16.6
• Mulhouse – 16.5
• Vitry-sur-Seine – 16.1
• Lyon – 15.9
• Noisy-le-Sec – 13.8
• Villeneuve d’ascq – 13.4
• Le Cannet – 13.2
• Quimper – 13.1
• Le Tampon – 12.2
• Saint-André – 12.2
• Antony – 12.1
• Cherbourg-en-Cotentin – 11.7
• Nanterre – 11.7
• Bordeaux – 11.6
• Chambéry – 11.6
• Cergy – 11.1
• Maisons-Alfort – 11.1
• Rezé – 11.1
• Drancy – 10.0
• Sète – 10.0
• Rueil-Malmaison – 9.1
• Évreux – 8.6
• Belfort – 8.0
• Castres – 7.7