Ten practical updates for France

1. Tax deadlines

There are deadlines for online and direct payments property tax (property tax) in October.

People who are over 75 or claiming AAH disability benefit are exempt from paying if their income is below a certain level, as are claimants for ASI disability benefit or Aspa pension supplement.

There is also a €100 reduction for people aged 65-74 who meet the same modest income criteria.

For bills of less than €300, you have until October 16 to pay by cash, cheque, bank transfer or using a pre-filled TIPSEPA.

Bills over €300 can be paid online via smartphone or tablet. The deadline for this is midnight on October 21. Bank accounts will be debited five days later.

Read more: Taxe foncière explained: Who pays and exemptions

2. Changing the dental fee

From October 1, surgeons’ fees and dental treatment will be reimbursed at 55% or 65% of the conventional health insurance fee, up from 70%.

Read more: French state to reduce the amount it contributes to your dental bills

This means that the amount that is not reimbursed for scaling, cavity treatment, root canals or surgical care, and thus remains as a patient’s out-of-pocket expense, known as the ticket moderator, will increase between 35% and 45%. %.

Additional insurance, if you have one, may cover this.

Young people between the ages of 3 and 24 can now benefit from a free annual oral check-up. That was every three years ago.

Also read: France’s dentist shortage ‘unlikely to improve for a decade’

3. Disability assistance

Changes have been made to the way the disability benefit distribution for disabled adults (AAH) is calculated.

This is now based only on the resources of the person in question if they are in a couple. Previously it was based on the finances of both partners.

The authorities had warned that this method could lead to loss of income, as well as financial dependence on the spouse, for persons with disabilities.

Also read: Free wheelchairs don’t go far enough, say French disability groups

4. Stop shrinking

Manufacturers will be required to clearly identify any product that has been reduced in size but not in price from November onwards.

The move, by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, will outlaw what she described as the shocking practice of ‘shrinkage’ and ensure that “consumers are no longer misled”.

Consumer watchdogs have long denounced the practice, which has become increasingly used as production costs have risen.

Despite the ban, retail giant Carrefour added a label to 26 products in September that says: “This product has seen its volume or weight decrease and the supplier’s effective price increase.”

However, the supermarket has also been accused of using the practice by consumer rights group Foodwatch.

Read more: French supermarket chain puts stickers on food to show ‘shrinkage’

5. Repair of clothes

Anyone who chooses to repair clothes, rather than throw them away, can apply for financial help under a new scheme. Repairers certified by the ecological organization Refashion, which is piloting the project on behalf of the government, can now apply reductions of between 6 and 25 euros on invoices.

A fund of 154 million euros is available for the period 2023-2028. The measure is part of a reform of the textile sector and efforts to support the reuse of clothing.

Two-thirds of the 700,000 tons of clothing thrown away each year in France end up in landfills.

Read more: France to soon start paying part of people’s clothing repair bills

6. Papillomavirus vaccine

A vaccination campaign begins in October against the human papillomavirus (HPV).

It will start in almost 7,000 secondary schools per student in the fifth (age 12-13).

It aims to prevent 6,000 new cases of cancer and 30,000 precancerous lesions of the cervix caused by HPV each year.

Vaccination is free. It is not mandatory and will be carried out in agreement with parents who will receive an information package, including a request for their authorization.

Read more: France to roll out a free vaccine for the sexually transmitted infection HPV

7. Bonus for car sharing

Commuters in and around Lille can still sign up for a nine-month trial that seeks to ease rush hour congestion in the Lille metropolitan area.

Anyone who decides to take public transport, telecommunications or a car will be rewarded with up to 80 euros per month.

The ‘ecobonus’ scheme aims to reduce rush hour traffic on the A1 and A23 motorways.

The pioneering measure, which runs until next May, has been criticized by local environmentalists, who claim it does little to significantly reduce road traffic. About 3,000 people have registered so far.

Read more: Lille launches scheme to pay drivers to leave the car at home

8. DAZN in France

Sports fans can now enjoy a wider range of events, including the UEFA Women’s Champions League, thanks to the integration of the DAZN sports service platform in

some Canal+ packages.

They are Pack Sport+, Canal+ Sport, Friends & Family, Intégrale and Intégrale +.

9. Day of electronic red letters

Postal workers can now come to people’s homes and scan their documents for tomorrow’s La Poste red e-paper the service.

The goal is to extend the service to people without their own scanning technology.

To use it, call La Poste’s helpline 3631 to ask a postman to come through the next day, or ask them during their rounds.

of red e-paper replaced the rouge or red stamp priority service on 1 January. It costs €1.49 per email.

Also read: Slow take-up for La Poste’s new digital stamps in France

10. Pharmacy prescriptions

Chemists are now able to prescribe antibiotics for sore throats and non-severe bacterial cystitis, albeit under strict conditions. They include a TRIAL quick diagnostic instructions to determine the ‘bacterial nature’ of the disease and an interview with the patient.

The change aims to ease pressure on GPs and address the lack of access to care in some rural areas.

Some antibiotics can be dispensed ‘pill by pill’ rather than in packs to limit shortages this winter. This has not yet been officially confirmed.

Also read: 16 things you can do in a French pharmacy besides buy aspirin