Work, health, taxes: what changes on January 1 in France

It is a French tradition, the new year opens with many changes. From the ban on cotton swabs for sale to a new year lower income tax, here are the new measures taken by the government which come into force on January 1, 2020.

Job

• The hourly minimum wage increased from 10.03 to 10.15 euros gross and the monthly minimum wage from 1,204 to 1,219 euros net, ie 15 euros more per month for the 2.3 million beneficiaries.

• The apprenticeship training centers (CFA) will no longer be financed by the regions, but by the professional branches and according to the number of young people under contract, as part of the "Avenir Pro" reform of 2018, which had the object of a standoff between employers and the regions, who wished to retain this competence.

• Companies with more than 11 employees are required to set up economic and social advice (CSE). Since the adoption of the reform of the labor code in 2017, 50,000 CSEs have been implemented, according to the Ministry of Labor.

taxes

• Lower income tax: President Macron's flagship promise in yellow vests, this drop of 5 billion euros will translate into an average annual gain of 350 euros for the 12 million households in the first tranche and 180 euros for the five million from the second tranche.

• Housing tax: 80% of homes will be fully exempt on January 1 and the elimination spread over three years for the others.

• Childminders and home helpers will now be subject to withholding tax, which is the responsibility of the individual employer to implement, on the monprelevementalasource.urssaf.fr website.

• Tax on commercial travelers, geothermal charge, solidarity contribution on wheat and barley: 18 low-yield taxes are eliminated in 2020.

bonus

• The tax-free bonus for employees (known as "Macron") is renewed, but subject to the conclusion of a profit-sharing agreement in the company.

• Alignment of the reduction in contributions from creators of micro-enterprises (self-entrepreneurs) with those of other entrepreneurs, with a reduction of only 50% in the first year instead of three declining years (-75% to -25%).

Health

• Homeopathic products will only be reimbursed by the Social Security for up to 15% (compared to 30% previously), a prelude to total reimbursement from 2021.

• The "angina tests" can be carried out by pharmacists and no longer only by doctors. These tests make it possible to know if the angina is due to a virus or a bacterium, and therefore to avoid the prescription of antibiotics in the first case.

• Full reimbursement of certain glasses and dental prostheses, additional reduction of 250 euros for the rest to be paid on hearing aids.

• Mandatory defibrillator for establishments receiving the public (ERP) of category 1 to 3, ie those accommodating more than 300 people.

Tobacco

• The price of a pack of 20 cigarettes drops to 9.10 or 9.20 euros depending on the brand.

Environment

• Cotton swabs for household use with plastic rod are prohibited for sale, as well as disposable plastic plates and glasses.

• Confectionery, ready meals, cakes ... The placing on the market of foodstuffs containing titanium dioxide (E171 or TiO2), controversial additive used to whiten or intensify the shine, is prohibited. It does not concern drugs or cosmetics.

• Bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor already banned for food containers, is banned from receipts, in application of a European decision.

• Pesticides: around dwellings, a minimum distance for non-spreading of phytosanitary products, between 5 and 20 meters (depending on the types of products and crops), must be respected to protect the health of residents. For plots already sown, this measure will not take effect until July 1.

• On the automobile side, the penalty scale is reinforced for the most emitting vehicles, in particular SUVs. The threshold for triggering the purchase penalty is lowered to 110 gCO2 / km, compared to 117 gCO2 / km currently. The maximum penalty for the purchase of a polluting vehicle goes from 10,500 to 20,000 euros and the different levels of penalty are globally doubled or even tripled.

• Energy renovation of buildings: possibility for low-income households to benefit from a premium paid by the National Housing Agency (Anah) as soon as they start energy renovation and energy saving works for their housing.

Law courts

• This is one of the main measures of the justice reform promulgated in March: the controversial merger of the district and district courts comes into force.

• Local courts par excellence, dealing with small daily disputes, the district courts disappear and will either be grouped with the TGI within "judicial courts", or will become separate chambers of these courts. Fighted by the unions of magistrates and by the lawyers, this reorganization aims to create for the litigant a "single entry door to justice", with the promise that no site will close.

SNCF

• The end of an era: new SNCF recruits will no longer be able to obtain railway worker status, which will continue to apply to the 131,000 people who currently benefit from it.

• The public rail group (GPF), built with three public establishments of an industrial and commercial nature or Epic (leading Epic, SNCF Mobilités and SNCF Réseau), becomes the unified public group (GPU), consisting of five public limited companies .

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