Self-employed workers, auto-entrepreneurs whose activity is penalized by the fifth wave of Covid-19, will benefit reductions in social security contributions and “exceptional financial aid”, the Minister for SMEs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne announced to AFP on Wednesday, without specifying the amount of this aid. The government has decided to set up “a safety net for the self-employed who have worked little or not at all due to health restrictions”, he said, while a demonstration was taking place in front of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, at the call of several organizations of independents.
Lower social security contributions
There will be “two types of devices: on the one hand, a reduction of social security contributions for December and January according to terms specific to their status”, said Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. So those who will lose more than 65% turnover will be able to deduct from their activity in the first quarter of 2022 the turnover achieved in December and January.
And if their drop in turnover goes from 30 to 65%, still for December and January, they will be able to deduct half of the turnover achieved from their activity in the first quarter, specified the Minister Delegate.
The auto-entrepreneurs concerned by this aid are those in the S1 and S1 bis sectors, which includes hotels, bars, restaurants, travel agencies, performing arts, sports clubs, museums, casinos, production of movies.
A “financial aid” whose amount is not yet defined
The second support device is a “exceptional financial assistance“who will address”to self-employed, self-employed in the hotel, catering, nightclub sectors, such as DJs, nightlife, events, travel agencies”, he specifies.
“Its amount still needs to be calibrated” in the coming days and auto-entrepreneurs will be able to request it on the urssaf.fr, secu-independants.fr or autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr sites, detailed the minister.
This aid, still for December and January, will be paid by the CPSTI, the Councils for the social protection of the self-employed.
so far “even in sectors that benefit from aid, the self-employed are excluded from all state aid”, regretted Hind Elidrissi, spokesperson for the “neo-union” Independents.co. The event brought together a few dozen people from the tourism or event sectors, joined by VTC and taxi drivers. According to Hind Elidrissi, representatives of the movement were to be received at the Ministry of Economy in the afternoon.