Increase in the price of electricity and tolls, administrative simplification, LEP… Here’s what changes on February 1

The month begins with its share of new features, particularly on subjects linked to purchasing power and administrative procedures.

February 1st marked by inflation. Electricity prices, like those that motorists must pay on the motorway, are increasing at the start of the month. Franceinfo takes stock of what is changing from Thursday.

The price of electricity soars by almost 10%

Electricity bills increase by 9.8% on peak and off-peak rates, and by 8.6% on base rates. This increase is the consequence of the gradual end of the price shield put in place by the government in October 2021, to protect users from the explosion in the price of electricity due to the Russian invasion in Ukraine. “It is a difficult decision, but necessary to guarantee our capacity to invest in new electricity production capacities and to definitively move away from ‘whatever it takes’“, declared Bruno Le Maire.

This return “normal”according to the expression of the Minister of Economy and Finance, will be fully completed in 2025, the date on which the French will once again pay the entirety of the domestic final consumption tax on electricity (TICFE).

Motorway toll rates increase

Based in particular on inflation, the price of motorway tolls increases again, on February 1. Among the main networks, in the north of France, Sanef will notably increase its prices by 2.79% and the SAPN by 3.08% for class 1 vehicles. In the center-east of the country, the price of APRR will increase by 3.02% and that of Area by 3.04%, while, in the west and south of France, Vinci, the main concessionaire, is increasing its prices by 2.7% on average .

Among the smallest networks, the Mont-Blanc Autoroutes and Tunnel (ATMB) will increase by 3.23%, the Normandy Bridge by 1.72%, the Duplex A86 by 4.77% (non-subscriber rate). The increase will be 5.41% for the A150 between Rouen and Le Havre, and 4.99% for the A79 in Allier. The Millau viaduct has the highest increase this year with 5.83% outside the summer period (and 5.56% on the summer rate).

The remuneration of the Popular Savings Booklet decreases to 5%

The savings plan aimed at the most modest loses one point of return. From February 1 and until July 31, the rate of the popular savings book (LEP) will be set at 5%, details the Ministry of the Economy, and no longer at 6%, as was the case since August 1. Its new rate corresponds to an upward rounding of the calculation formula, which gave 4.4%.

Subject to income conditions, the LEP, whose rate is much higher than that of the Livret A (set at 3%), is aimed at people declaring up to 21,393 euros of tax income for a single person, or 32 818 euros for a household with two tax shares. In strong growth in recent months, this booklet capped at 10,000 euros – excluding calculation of capitalized interest – now concerns 10.7 million savers.

The “social net amount” appearing on the pay slips must be indicated to benefit from the RSA

One month after its appearance on pay slips, the net social amount becomes from February 1 the reference income to declare to benefit from the RSA or the activity bonus. According to the Ministry of Solidarity, this involves simplifying access to rights, while one in three households eligible for RSA does not request payment from family allowance funds and around a third of low earners do not request not the activity bonus even though they are entitled to it, according to the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees).

The social net amount, which corresponds to the net income after deduction of all compulsory social security contributions, must still appear on benefit statements, during 2024.

The credit application is accelerated for the payment of inheritance fees

The payment of inheritance tax sometimes poses financial difficulties for heirs, who may request split or deferred payment from Bercy. To facilitate this situation, the response time from the Ministry of Economy and Finance will be reduced to two months, from February 1. This measure to simplify the succession process after the death of a loved one is included in a decree published on December 28, 2023.