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French tax collector follows deceased taxpayer to cemetery

May 9, 2013

You thought the Internal Revenue Service was persistent. U.S. tax collectors can't hold a candle to their French counterparts.

France's Centre for Public Finances sent a tax bill to a grave.

To be fair, the French tax officials first sent the demand for tax payment to the taxpayer's home,
in the Ile-de-France region outside Paris. It was returned to the Centre marked "Deceased."

That didn't deter the tax office. 


Grave headstone cemetery_photo by Express Monorail via FlickrThe Local website reports that a tax staffer in the agency's Vincennes
office tracked the late taxpayer to his last known address, the cemetery in the village of Autheuil.

The original returned envelope was re-addressed by hand, according to Ouest-France, and sent to:

Autheuil Cemetery
Tomb 19
61190 Autheuil

So how did those of us still on this mortal coil find out about the collection letter?

No, his ghost didn't respond to the French tax authorities. The dunning notice was redirected to Béatrice Devedjian, mayor of Autheuil.

Devedjian told France's RTL radio she was shocked at the
French tax collector's decision to "harass a person until his final resting place."

Autheuil officials, however, plan to track down the deceased man's family and deliver the tax bill to them.

Photo credit: Express Monorail via photopin cc

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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