In the streets and commercial areas, it is no longer rare to see fast food restaurants proliferate. A culinary invasion which has transformed the eating habits of French people, and which takes a heavy toll on their health. To the point that some deputies decided to react. As part of the finance bill for 2026, an environmentalist and socialist amendment proposes to impose a double tax on franchised fast food chains, explicitly targeting brands such as McDonald’s, Burger King, O’Tacos and Quick.
A burger tax
The logic is simple, but impactful: from July 1, 2026, the opening of a new fast-food franchise would cost €50,000, an astronomical sum to symbolize a real brake on expansion. And the sanction does not stop there: an annual operating tax of €10,000 would be added each year. Even more dissuasive, if the establishment opens less than 300 meters from a school, the financial penalty would be doubled, rising to €100,000 upon opening and €20,000 per year thereafter.
The argument brandished by the supporters of the amendment is that of public health, and above all the fight against childhood obesity. According to recent studies on the subject, geographic proximity between a fast-food restaurant and a school often means an increase in overweight among young people. A situation that is all the more problematic as the network of these restaurants is increasingly dense: Burger King has doubled its number of restaurants in just four years in France, and McDonald’s continues to open nearly one restaurant per week.
A debate that goes beyond junk food
For its part, the French Franchise Federation denounces a distortion of competition, recalling that only franchised establishments would be affected, leaving aside independents who nevertheless offer similar products. Fast food professionals also speak of a direct threat to local employment, investment and the economic vitality of territories, particularly in peri-urban areas.
If the stated objective is to fight against junk food, the choice to tax only large franchise brands fuels much broader debates. For the defenders of the proposal, it is a question of giving a strong signal, beyond the budgetary aspect, in order to encourage a rethinking of the dominant food model. Some elected officials also temper the scope of the text, recalling that it is neither a question of attacking small entrepreneurs nor of creating a punitive tax, but of target the rapid and standardized growth of the sector’s behemothsaccused of cannibalizing local alternatives.
What future for fast food made in France?
It remains to be seen whether this measure, which has yet to be discussed in the National Assembly, will actually be adopted. If it sees the light of day, it would constitute a significant precedent in French public health policy and its relationship to fast food.
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