French MPs want to impose an extra flat tax on fast food outlets – doubled if the restaurant is located near a school – in an attempt to fight to proliferation of fast food in French towns and cities.
French MPs are debating a new budget law for 2026 and the Green Party proposed a new amendment targeting fast food franchises, such as McDonald’s, Burger King or the popular French chain O’Tacos.
Under this amendment, fast food franchises would be subject to an extra flat tax, on top of the usual taxes that all businesses pay.
Opening a fast food franchise restaurant would immediately entail a tax of €50,000 and then €10,000 each year that the restaurant operates. It would not affect independently operated restaurants that sell fast food, such as kebab shops.
It also proposes to double these taxation amounts if the fast food franchise decides to open a restaurant within 300 meters of a school because “scientific studies point to a statistical correlation between childhood obesity and the geographical proximity of fast food outlets and schools.”
The amendment aims to curb the proliferation of fast food outlets, “which pose real public health challenges.”
At this stage it is not clear whether the amendment will pass, or even when the Budget itself will get through parliament without bringing down another French government.
A McDonald’s “20 minutes away” for everyone
Despite its reputation as the land of fine dining and fresh ingredients, France is an enthusiastic consumer of fast food – and is one of the top consumers of McDonald’s in the world.
Burger King has grown “from 222 restaurants in 2019 to 515 in 2023” and McDonald’s “announced in 2025 that it plans to open nearly one restaurant per week,” the law proposal says.
The amendment also comes at a time when “failures in the traditional restaurant sector have reached historically high levels. In terms of number of restaurants, traditional restaurants have now been overtaken by fast food restaurants,” the MPs write in the law proposal.
This trend could worsen with McDonald’s planning a major expansion in France, with the stated goal being that every person living in France will have “a McDonald’s within 20 minutes of their home.”
Local mayors have tried to oppose the opening of fast food restaurants in their towns. For example, Laroque, a medieval town of 1700 inhabitants about an hour away from Montpellier in the South of France, is currently fighting against the opening of a McDonald’s.
Dining and Cooking