An experiment using artificial intelligence (AI) has helped French tax authorities discover more than 20 000 undeclared swimming polls, and deliver an unexpected windfall.
Tax officials had so far amassed some €10m in revenue, according to a BBC report.
Pools can lead to higher property taxes, and must be declared under French law.
AI software, developed by Google and French consulting firm Capgemini, spotted the pools on aerial images of nine French regions during a trial in October last year.
The regions of Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Ardèche, Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire and Morbihan were part of the trial – but tax officials say it may now be rolled out nationwide.
The BBC reports that there were more than 3.2 million private swimming pools in France in 2020, according to data website Statista, but that, with more employees working from home, there was a further surge in pool installations.
The crackdown coincides with anxiety about France’s water supplies.
Julien Bayou of France’s Europe-Ecology Greens party told French media that France needs a ‘different relationship to water’ and that a ban on new pools would be a ‘last resort’.
‘The challenge is not to ban swimming pools, it is to guarantee our vital water needs,’ he said.
His comments come as France tackles its worst recorded drought, which has left more than 100 municipalities short of drinking water.
[Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/swim-ring-water-swimming-pool-ring-84625/]