No, THEY HAVE TO PAY THIS! all of these businesses have been paying this to the French side government for years and it has been included as a cost of doing business, no different than rent or electric or anything else that is a cost of doing business. Now companies are breaking this out as a line item on their receipts as an easy way to bump up their revenue stream by an easy 4% and act like they are innocent. It is just a dishonest money grab.