French authorities are using Google to detect illegal construction and collect millions in taxes.
Tax offices in France are using modern technology to detect people who have not declared illegal constructions.
Within the “Foncier Innovant” project, the Capgemini consulting firm collaborated with Google for the verification of built surfaces.
With the help of the satellite technology used by Google, it was possible to discover more than 20 thousand undeclared private swimming pools in nine regions of the country.
Their owners were then taxed accordingly and the total amount of taxes collected reached ten million euros.
The project is now being expanded across the country.
Modern technology enables the automatic comparison of houses and yards with the tax register – and checks whether the taxes paid by the owners for the property match the area and whether additions, extensions or unauthorized constructions have been made, such as in the case of swimming pools.