The new French President Francois Hollande, has just released details of his first budget, which also includes punitive charges to owners of second homes in France, where around 200,000 British people have taken advantage of the generally lower house prices.

The tax on rental income from holiday homes is to rise from 20% to 35.5%, backdated from January 1st and in case you were thinking of rushing to the estate agent to sell your property, Capital gains tax has also increased from 19% to 34.5%, effective from August 2012.

With rumours that French Police are targeting cars with UK number plates for on the spot fines, who may not be familiar with the new rules on what they need to be carrying, including now breathaliser kits, owning a home in France and indeed getting to it, can be an expensive experience.