The French Nautical and Boating Confederation (CNP) has launched a national campaign against TAEMUP – the reform of the tax on recreational boats, scheduled to come into effect on January 1 2027.
CNP says the reform was conceived without any real consultation with stakeholders in the field and risks directly penalising thousands of boaters and weakening an already strained economic sector.
In addition, the organisation says the reform will further distance the French from popular, family-oriented and accessible boating.
The CNP believes that recreational boating cannot be reformed based on theoretical considerations disconnected from realities and practices.
And it says that there has been a lack of dialogue with those who live, work and sail on the coastlines and inland waterways.
Collaborative reform
“We demand a fair, transparent and collaborative reform,” said Yves Lyon-Caen, president of the CNP.
“This reform is profoundly unfair because it primarily impacts everyday recreational boating: family boats, small-scale fishing and the popular activities that sustain our ports and our communities.
“It also symbolises a failure to listen to those on the ground.
“We are not opposed to reform. We demand a fair, transparent, collaborative reform that is truly beneficial to the environmental transition of our sector.”
Expensive and complex
And Yves pointed out that the reform will primarily affect the most modest boaters who engage in simple, family-oriented and accessible boating: pleasure boats, small recreational fishing vessels and small coastal boats.
TAEMUP could tax tens of thousands of boaters who have previously been exempt and will make boating more expensive and complex.
And Yves also points out that the reform will also have direct consequences for professionals in the nautical industry such as boat dealers, shipyards, repairers, equipment suppliers, marinas and nautical services.
Weakening a strained sector
By increasing the cost of boat ownership, it risks slowing purchases, impacting maintenance costs and weakening the activity of an already strained sector that supports thousands of jobs and expertise in coastal areas, he said.
TAEMUP is included in the French parliament’s 2026 Finance Bill and is intended to benefit the environmental transition of the marine industry.
In its current form, the reform claims to encourage alternative propulsion systems, while electric solutions are not always available, suitable or affordable.
The CNP is calling on all stakeholders in boating and the nautical sector to respond to the call.
