Every day, companies trigger a tax audit without even knowing it. This detail, often ignored, is enough to turn everything upside down.
The risk of a tax audit constantly looms over French companies. In a context where tax fraud represents several tens of billions of euros in losses for the State each year, tax audits have become more frequent, more targeted, and above all, more feared. In 2023, Bercy services have strengthened their detection systems, with a clear objective: to track risky behavior to better recover the amounts owed. For businesses, a single oversight can now be enough to attract the attention of the tax authorities.
Invited by Guillaume Pley on his YouTube channel Legend, a tax inspector lifts the veil on the most frequent triggers. It details the signals that automatically alert the tax services. Far from being confidential, these errors are nevertheless regularly committed, including by well-supported structures.
Among them, a simple but frequent failure: non-compliance with declaration deadlines, particularly for VAT and the annual balance sheet. The inspector is categorical: repeated delays are enough to justify an inspection. “If a company is constantly late with its tax returns, this is an aggravating factor. This is the assured tax audit“, he warns. And adds: “You need to check that your accountant has filed your balance sheet and VAT returns on time. If this is not the case, you will already start to have a nosebleed“. A direct message to managers, often convinced that the presence of an accountant is enough to avoid problems.
But that’s not all: other, less obvious practices also arouse suspicion. This is the case for companies which never claim the VAT refunds to which they are entitled. Generally speaking, any repeated anomaly in VAT management, unjustified rate differences, or a constant VAT credit profile without reimbursement requests can be interpreted as weak signals… but triggers.
For employers, small business managers or self-employed people, the message is clear: anticipate, check, correct. Even with a good accounting firm, lack of vigilance can be very costly. Administrative rigor, often relegated to the background, remains the first protection against the risks of a tax audit.
