Rate of wear noted, increase in the price of cigarettes… The month of March promises to be a tense month in terms of purchasing power. Overview of the main novelties.
End of cold calling
Businesses will now be banned from canvassing on weekends and at lunchtime. They must respect specific time slots, Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, the number of call attempts will be limited to four to avoid any abusive canvassing. In the event of non-compliance with this new legal framework, it will always be possible to report the marketer on the Bloctel site.
Fuel cap at TotalEnergies
Diesel and gasoline will be capped at 1.99 euros per liter at the 3,400 TotalEnergies service stations. The boss of the French hydrocarbon giant responded to Emmanuel Macron’s call during a visit to Rungis last Tuesday. As a reminder, the French concerned have until March 31 to claim their fuel allowance, this bonus of 100 euros reserved for workers forced to take their car.
Tripling of the Accession loan rate
The Accession loan rate will triple as of March 1, from 0.5% to 1.5%. The Action Logement loan system makes it possible to finance social home ownership, in new or old buildings, up to a limit of 40,000 euros, over a maximum of 25 years.
Increase in wear rate
Real estate is also affected by an increase in the usury rate, the maximum rate at which a bank can lend money. From March 1, it will be set at 4%, compared to 3.79% currently, for loans of 20 years or more. It will climb a little more for loans with a duration of less than 10 years to 3.67% against 2.75%. The biggest increase, however, remains that of loans spread over 10 to 20 years, with an increase in the ceiling to 3.87%.
End of the deadline for publishing the equality index in companies
Companies with 50 or more employees have until March 1 to calculate and publish their professional equality index on their website. This system also concerns companies with more than 1,000 employees, who will also have to calculate the gap in representation between women and men among their senior executives. The results must be declared on a dedicated platform and sent to the CSE.
Change for Covid tests
Until then, PCR and antigen tests were 100% covered for vaccinated people and without medical prescription. From now on, there will be a remainder to be paid (30% of the cost of the test if it is carried out by a doctor or a pharmacist and 40% if it is by a nurse or a masseur-physiotherapist). 100% coverage will remain in place for patients with long-term illness (ALD), people aged 65 and over, minors, caregivers, pregnant women or those undergoing collective screening. .
Changes in Agirc-Arrco social levies
Thirteen million retirees in France are affected by an increase or decrease in their Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension in March. This is linked to an update of the CSG (generalized social contribution) levy rate.
Increase in the price of cigarettes
Cigarettes will experience a further increase on March 1. Some brands will even exceed 11 euros per pack of 20, according to the retail price nomenclature published by customs. This is for example the case of Marlboro Red, which will go from 10.5 euros to 11.5 euros.
Last straight line to use your 2022 meal vouchers
The paper lunch vouchers obtained in 2022 can be used until the end of February and will no longer be valid from March 1. After this period, it will still be possible to return them to your employer to replace them with tickets valid in 2023, provided they are returned before March 15, 2023. With regard to transport ticket cards, the balance can be automatically transferred or will require a balance transfer to be validated by email, depending on the issuers.