Over taxing the yacht industry in France

[Bruce]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08 ... a-plunges/

Saint-Tropez gets sinking feeling as number of yachts in its marina plunges

2 AUGUST 2017 • 6:49PM
Saint-Tropez, the glittering Riviera resort favoured by celebrities and the super-rich, is lamenting a decline in the number of yachts berthed at its marina this summer.

Luxury yacht owners tend not to be short of funds, but increasingly they are shunning the Côte d’Azur’s upscale resorts because of prohibitive costs.

Instead of Saint-Tropez or Antibes’ renowned “billionaires’ harbour”, many are choosing less expensive destinations in Italy or Spain, where berthing fees, fuel prices and crewing costs are lower.

The high costs on the Riviera are blamed partly on France’s strict enforcement of EU regulations on the sales price of marine diesel and a new requirement for high French taxes and social contributions to paid for crew members which was introduced in March.

As concern mounts for local businesses and jobs, the Riviera’s three most prominent politicians, Renaud Muselier, the president of the Riviera region, Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, and Hubert Falco, the mayor of Toulon, issued a plea for help from President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.

“The gravity of the economic situation of the yachting sector in the Provence-Alps-Riviera region makes it necessary for us to appeal for your direct intervention,” they said in an open letter released to the media.


Revenue at the iconic marina in Saint-Tropez has fallen by 30 per cent since the beginning of the year, while Toulon, a less glamorous destination, has suffered a 40-per-cent decline, they said.

Complaining that the EU is allowing Italy and Spain to undercut the Côte d’Azur, they called for the “urgent harmonisation of tax and social regulations at the European level”.

They added: “Refuelling a 42-metre yacht in Italy (instead of France) gives a saving of nearly €21,000 (£18,800) a week because of the difference in tax… while the additional cost of maintaining a seven-person crew in France is €300,000 (£268,000) a year.

They said hardly any French sailors were being hired to crew yachts and sales by the four largest marine fuel vendors had fallen by 50 per cent this summer.

Laurent Falaize, head of the Riviera Yachting Network, said: “The British and the Americans are sending their yachts to refuel in Italy or Spain, where the interpretation of European tax rules is different from ours in France.”

Franck Dosne, manager of Port Vauban, a yachting harbour in Antibes, said: “The fall in visits can easily be seen simply by looking at a map showing where yachts are berthed in the western Mediterranean.”

He said that national insurance, health and other compulsory contributions which boat owners pay for crew members had increased from 15 to 55 per cent of their wages.

The open letter cited the example of the Monaco Maritime boatyard, which recently lost a lucrative contract for a 152-metre mega-yacht to a Spanish rival.

The complaints by marinas and boatyards echo the grievances of winegrowers in the south of France who complain that they cannot compete with cheaper wines from Spain, where wages and payroll taxes are lower.

Tens of thousands of jobs depend on the yachting industry. Mr Macron, who has promised to reduce France’s high unemployment, has yet to comment on the Riviera’s woes.

The region has been hit by a spate of wildfires amid sweltering weather, which have deterred some British holidaymakers, although the blazes caused no deaths or injuries.

[mike ohlstein]

[Tony Meola]

Mike

Really strange, your post is completely blank on my screen but if I hit the quote, a you tube link shows up for response to your post.

[Bruce]

Only by supreme faith and clicking on a blank screen my young grasshopper does one truely see and understand the wisdom of Mike's posts.

[Tony Meola]

Only by supreme faith and clicking on a blank screen my young grasshopper does one truely see and understand the wisdom of Mike's posts.

Scarry, I now see Margaret Thatcher. You pray to a strange god.

[MarkS]

Bruce it must be the frogs need to subsidize a few more months off a year for the general population or maybe they need to buy some more white cotton for the flag factory?

[Bruce]

I clearly remember when they tried to stick the fat hog in the ass by taxing the yacht industry here and how well it turned out.
A lot of skilled workers lost their jobs.

[MarkS]

You can always count on the guberment making it ALL better!

[David Davidson]

The French are now reaping what they have been sowing on the Côte d'Azur for decades. Overpriced and bad attitude.
They deserve it. We have moved our managed yachts out of there this year. That's about €5m turnover per annum they've lost!!

Loved the Thatcher vid. She always made absolute sense to me. Pity no British politicians have her spine these days.

[Bruce]

Pity no politicians have her spine these days.

FIFY

[Carl]

We now have our Mayors plan to tax the Rich to pay for the Cities share of the MTA's bill in repairing the decaying subways.
He thinks its fair to only Tax them a little % point or so, as they won't miss it.

And its their duty as they ride in private transport anyway?? ( surprised he could say that without laughing)


Go Figure, it sure sounds like a great idea to the strap hangers using the subway as that money is not coming from their pocket.

Not saying a guy making a 1/2 million a year can't cough up a few bucks...but for a service he doesn't use and he's only being hit as he does well...that is not the America I know. Sounds like Europe...and if I wanted to live in Europe, I'd move there.

New NYS tax for employees...now a % comes out so they can take family leave up to 8 weeks.

Take take take

[mike ohlstein]

We all pay anyway. That's where 90% of the tolls collected go. A subway/bus ride costs twice as much as they charge for one.

So then they need to scratch for money when it's discovered that they've ignored the maintenance on the bridges and tunnels for 30 years..... Oooops. Let's just raise taxes a little more.

You don't think that we live in a socialist country.....?

[Carl]

We do live in a socialist state under the guise of Capitolism.

Your right about tolls and cellphone surcharges and and and...

As ridiculous as that is to be subsidizing the MTA it is at least done on somewhat even footing. Everyone going across the Bridge coughs up the $17 VZ Bridge fare.


This New Idea (which is far from new) to increase revenue for an emergency project 87 years in the making is to just Tax someone who has more for a service they do not and will not use.
That is just screwed up...plain and simple. Impose it on them through a vote...what happened to Liberty? They can't stand up for themselves as they are outvoted.

While I am so far removed from having to pay that % but highly infuriated its even a consideration...

Then of course that tax will never be removed, and 500K + will become 500K, 450, 400 used toward other "emergencies" like renovating DeBlasio's favorite YMCA.

Hope the well off fight this or take their belongings and move out of the City. But I am sure it is an amount that will annoy and enrage...but not enough to take action.