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Google Develops AI Technology That Leads to Discovery of Property Tax Evaders

Google Develops AI Technology That Leads to Discovery of Property Tax Evaders

French authorities have used AI technology to discover over 20,000 undeclared swimming pools throughout the country, revealing millions of Euros in lost tax revenue in the process.

Per French law, pools must be declared to local governments because they typically boost property value, meaning homeowners must pay higher taxes. 

According to a BBC report:

The [artificial intelligence] software, developed by Google and French consulting firm Capgemini, spotted the pools on aerial images of nine French regions during a trial in October 2021.

The regions of Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Ardèche, Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire and Morbihan were part of the trial - but tax officials say it may now be rolled out nationwide.

French media outlets are reporting that the 20,000 pools discovered by this AI investigation have led to €10m/£8.5m/$10m in tax revenue. 

The BBC noted that "an average pool of 30 sq m (322 sq ft) is taxed at €200/£170/$200.6 a year."

Data aggregation website Statista indicates that there were approximately 3.2 million residential swimming pools in the nation of France prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

As people began spending more time at home during quarantine, this number increased. 

Intriguingly, this pool installation surge has come amid the European country's "most severe drought ever." AgriNews shared details:

[French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne] said in a written statement on Aug. 5 that many areas in France are going through a “historic situation” as the country endures its third heatwave this summer.

Her statement continued:

“The exceptional drought we are currently experiencing is depriving many municipalities of water and is a tragedy for our farmers, our ecosystems and biodiversity,” the statement said.

The Washington Post also weighed in on the situation, connecting the dots between the country's water shortage and the increase in swimming pool installations nationwide:

“The challenge is not to ban swimming pools, it is to guarantee our vital water needs,” Julien Bayou, the national secretary of the center-left Europe Ecology-the Greens party, wrote on Twitter last week after a television interview in which he wouldn’t rule out supporting such a ban in the event of repeated droughts.

At this time, other countries -- including England and the United States, where news outlets have been following this story -- have not indicated whether or not they will use similar AI technology to catch property tax dodgers. 

What do you think about France's move to catch property tax evaders using artificial intelligence imagery?

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

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