Like every year, January 1 marks the entry into force of a series of new features, some of which have significant repercussions for the lives of the French.
Many changes are taking place this Monday, January 1, and some will have a direct impact on the lives of the French. Discover them below.
Revaluation of the minimum wage
Each year, the inter-professional minimum wage for growth (SMIC) is revalued in order to take into account changes in inflation. It thus increases by 1.13% from this month of January, to reach €1,398.69 net, the gross amount rising to €1,766.92.
Revaluation of pensions
At the same time, the general system pension is increased by 5.3%. This increase concerns 13 million former private sector employees as well as state and territorial civil servants, artisans, traders and liberals.
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Increase in electricity and mutual insurance
After two years of high inflation, the French budget will not be spared in 2024. Beyond the increase in mutual insurance rates (+ 8.1%) or property tax (+ 3.9% at least ), the electricity bill will rise again starting February 1. The government promises a contained increase of 10% maximum.
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Increase in the green stamp, cigarettes and tolls
The green stamphe will pass from 1.16 to 1.29 €while most packs of 20 cigarettes will cross the symbolic bar of €12. Motorists should expect tolls to rise by around 3% on February 1.
Pôle emploi becomes France Travail, the RSA evolves
From January 1, Pôle emploi becomes France Travail, an organization whose objective is to better coordinate the actors of the public employment service. Concretely, for job seekers already registered, nothing changes, except that their updating is no longer carried out on the site pole-emploi.frbut on francetravail.fr.
On the other hand, from now on, any person applying for RSA to the CAF will be automatically registered with France Travail no later than January 1, 2025. Upon registration, each job seeker must sign “an employment contract”: the RSA beneficiaries will be required to carry out at least 15 hours of activity each week linked to training or integration. This duration may be lowered or excluded depending on the situation of the signatory as recalled vie-publique.fr.
A new Nutri-score
From January 1st, the Nutri-score changes. The visual benchmark allowing you to know at a glance the nutritional quality of products strengthens its rating criteria to offer a rating more suited to foods sold in stores and more in line with public health recommendations. So on the shelves, there will no longer be pizza or “A” rated red meat.
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Electric cars for rent
Promised since October 2022, the electric car rental project at 100 euros per month comes into force. This new system, which should allow the most modest households (income threshold set at €15,400/year) to switch to electricity, will start quite slowly before ramping up in 2025. Initially, the This offer will be reserved for the heaviest drivers (more than 8,000 km/year) and who live more than 15 km from their place of work.
The ecological bonus will drop for the wealthiest
As of January 1, the government plans to lower the amount of the ecological bonus intended for the purchase of an electric vehicle for the wealthiest. The measure will concern the 40% of the richest French people, for whom the amount of the bonus will drop from 5,000 to 4,000 when they buy a new electric vehicle.
Compost and compulsory sorting of bio-waste
Potato peels and other banana skins no longer belong in our trash. It is now prohibited to put food waste in household waste. Each household must therefore be able to set up a sorting solution at source, whether it is a personal compost bin or a sorting bin. This concerns professionals and individuals alike. The Government must support communities in implementing solutions for citizens, particularly for the distribution of compost bins.
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Softened stitch removal
Speeding below 5 km/h is now only punishable by a fine. Until now, any driver caught at less than 20 km/h above the authorized limit had to pay a fixed fine and automatically lost a point on their license, recoverable within 6 months. From now on, if the excess speed is between 1 and 5 km/h beyond the limit, the sanction will only be financial. It is the speed chosen, which already includes a margin of error of 5 km/h, which will serve as the basis for the calculation.
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Driving license at 17
From today, young people over the age of 17 can enroll in a driving school and drive as soon as they obtain their B license. They must always hold the code before taking the driving test. The code can be passed from the age of 15 for people registered for accompanied driving, and from 16 for others. Until now, it was possible to obtain your driving license in advance with accompanied driving, but you had to wait 18 years before being able to drive completely independently.
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Repair bonus
The amount of the repair bonus doubles for five everyday appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, vacuum cleaner and television) and increases by 5 euros for more than twenty products, while 24 new pieces of equipment are eligible. Repair for accidental breakage is now possible. This financial aid from the State aims to encourage the repair rather than the systematic replacement of everyday devices.
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Bonus for rental
A bonus of €5,000 per accommodation has now been introduced for owners who rent out their vacant property or second home in rural areas.
Cartridges for hunters on sale at tobacconists
From this year, tobacconists will no longer be content with selling only cartons of cigarettes. Hunters can now buy their ammunition from tobacconists. Before being able to offer this service, which is not unanimously accepted, they will have to be trained and obtain a certificate. Each tobacconist offering rifle cartridges for sale will be backed by a gunsmith.
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These ammunition will just be stored at tobacco merchants. Supported by the Ministry of the Interior and the Hunters’ Federation, this measure aims to facilitate access to category C and D ammunition.
Work assistance for the elderly
Unique assistance for housing adaptation is launched this year. Called “MaPrimeAdapt'”, its objective is to allow people with disabilities or loss of autonomy, meeting the eligibility conditions, to remain living at home. How ? By allowing them to finance work to adapt their homes thanks to this financial assistance. Interior work (stair lift, bathroom fittings, etc.) or exterior work (access ramp, installation of roller shutters, etc.) can thus be subsidized.
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Specialized centers against domestic violence
Specialized centers against domestic violence will be set up in all courts and courts of appeal to guarantee coordinated and rapid action by all judicial actors and their partners. Emmanuel Macron announced this on the occasion of the last International Day to Combat Violence Against Women.