
The French tax authorities have used artificial intelligence to search for undeclared private pools from aerial photographs. As a result of the checks, the owners were issued fines totaling about 10 million euros, writes The Guardian.
Developed by Google and Capgemini, the system can identify basins in aerial photographs and check them against land registry databases. As a result of the experiment, she identified 20,356 unregistered objects.
According to regulators, any changes to property, including the addition of swimming pools, must be declared by citizens within 90 days of completion. A typical 30 sq. m involves an additional fee for the owner of about 200 euros per year, experts said.
The IRS is currently considering using the system to detect undeclared outbuildings, porches and permanent terraces.
“We are especially focused on extensions to the house like porches. But we need to be sure that the software can find buildings with a large area, and not a dog kennel or a children’s playhouse, ”said Antoine Magnat, deputy general director for public finance.
According to the technical team of the tax authorities, they cannot yet distinguish the extension from an awning, terrace or tarp on the ground. The software error is 30%, they added.
In April 2022, it was reported that artificial intelligence mistook solar panels for swimming pools and also failed to find taxable outbuildings hidden behind trees or in the shade.
According to the developers, they are conducting tests to improve the technology.
“This is our second round of research, which will also allow us to check whether the property is empty and should no longer be taxed,” Magnant added.
A pilot project to identify undeclared real estate was launched in 2021 in nine departments of France. In 2023, they plan to expand the system to the entire country, as well as increase the number of detected objects.
The authorities expect that the technology will help increase tax revenue from the construction of private pools by 40 million euros per year.
Recall that in February, the US Internal Revenue Service refused to use the ID.me facial recognition system.
In the same month, American citizens were allowed not to use biometric authentication when receiving online fiscal services.
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The French tax authorities have used artificial intelligence to search for undeclared private pools from aerial photographs. As a result of the checks, the owners were issued fines totaling about 10 million euros, writes The Guardian.
Developed by Google and Capgemini, the system can identify basins in aerial photographs and check them against land registry databases. As a result of the experiment, she identified 20,356 unregistered objects.
According to regulators, any changes to property, including the addition of swimming pools, must be declared by citizens within 90 days of completion. A typical 30 sq. m involves an additional fee for the owner of about 200 euros per year, experts said.
The IRS is currently considering using the system to detect undeclared outbuildings, porches and permanent terraces.
“We are especially focused on extensions to the house like porches. But we need to be sure that the software can find buildings with a large area, and not a dog kennel or a children’s playhouse, ”said Antoine Magnat, deputy general director for public finance.
According to the technical team of the tax authorities, they cannot yet distinguish the extension from an awning, terrace or tarp on the ground. The software error is 30%, they added.
In April 2022, it was reported that artificial intelligence mistook solar panels for swimming pools and also failed to find taxable outbuildings hidden behind trees or in the shade.
According to the developers, they are conducting tests to improve the technology.
“This is our second round of research, which will also allow us to check whether the property is empty and should no longer be taxed,” Magnant added.
A pilot project to identify undeclared real estate was launched in 2021 in nine departments of France. In 2023, they plan to expand the system to the entire country, as well as increase the number of detected objects.
The authorities expect that the technology will help increase tax revenue from the construction of private pools by 40 million euros per year.
Recall that in February, the US Internal Revenue Service refused to use the ID.me facial recognition system.
In the same month, American citizens were allowed not to use biometric authentication when receiving online fiscal services.
Subscribe to Cryplogger news in Telegram: Cryplogger AI – all the news from the world of AI!
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press CTRL+ENTER