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WHILE THERE IS NO FINANCIAL AID, TAX CREDITS CAN BE USED TO REDUCE BILLS FOR HIRING PEOPLE TO CLEAR YOUR GARDEN _Article published June 6, 2023_ READER QUESTION: I READ IN A RECENT

_CONNEXION_ ARTICLE ABOUT POSSIBLE FINANCIAL HELP WITH ADHERING TO _DÉBROUSSAILLAGE_ OBLIGATIONS. HOW DOES THIS WORK PLEASE? In France, there are laws for clearing gardens and areas of your

property close to woodland – called _débroussaillage_ – to help avoid the spread of forest fires. In May, MPs voted to increase the fine for not clearing out garden space you are responsible

for, from €30 per m² to €50. This came along with wider changes to the law to prevent a repeat of last year, where almost 70,000 hectares were destroyed by wildfires in France. Work

required as part of_ débroussaillage_ can be physically demanding, with obligations including pruning trees and hedges, clearing dead foliage, and keeping a tree-free perimeter around your

property all required. A full list of what needs to be done, alongside the regional differences, can be found in our explainer article HERE. RELATED ARTICLES: CAN YOU MOW YOUR LAWN ON A BANK

HOLIDAY IN FRANCE? WHAT HELP IS AVAILABLE? It is possible to clear your garden yourself, if you are physically able to, unlike certain other changes, which require a specialist, SUCH AS THE

REMOVAL OF OLD FUEL OIL TANKS. As to financial help, there are no direct grants to pay towards services but it is possible to obtain a tax credit of up to 50% if you pay for the service to

be carried out by an accredited firm, association or other body with official _Services à la personne_ accreditation. This applies within a maximum ceiling of costs of €5,000 for which you

can claim a tax credit, per year, per tax household, for _petits travaux de jardinage_ (gardening, including this clearance work). A similar 50% tax credit is also possible for those who

hire a home-help employee (_salarié à domicile_) to help with gardening. This applies to workers hired through the Cesu (_chèque emploi-service universel_) scheme. You can use our previous

article HERE to find out how to set up an account to hire a gardener. Finally, a 50% tax credit is also available if you use an _Association Syndicale Autorisée_, a state sector organisation

that helps to limit wildfires. However, in this case this only applies to up to €1,000 of costs. Tax credit claims are made on your French income tax return for the year in question, so the

one filled out in May-June 2024, if you have work done this year. If your income tax bill for the year is not high enough to fully benefit via a tax reduction, then you will receive the

rest of the benefit in a bank transfer from the tax office. Regions where it is usually mandatory to clear your garden include Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Corse, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, and

Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (see here for the exact zones involved). The cost of hiring a worker is variable, but the overall price of clearing an area will typically be from €0.40 to €0.80

per m², depending on the work that needs to be done. RELATED ARTICLES WHY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO CLEAR UP YOUR GARDEN FRANCE WILDFIRES: MPS VOTE TO HIKE FINES FOR NOT CLEARING

YOUR GARDEN