Copied this from the Start Business in France website.
"The auto-entrepreneur’s regime has once again be put under the spotlight, further to a speech made on 5th June by Mrs Pinel, Ministre Délégée for Crafts, Trade and Tourism. While addressing the Assemblée Permanente des Chambres de Métiers de l'Artisanat (APCMA - Permanent Assembly of Chambre de Metiers), Ms Pinel said that auto-entrepreneurs created "unfair competition" for artisans and that adjustments will be made after an assessment by the government. This refered to the statements made by M. Hollande for the presidential election campaign.
According to Mr Griset, president of the APCMA, the auto-entrepreneur was set up without consulting professional bodies, resulting in many difficulties for existing businesses. The auto-entrepreneur "allows the legalisation of concealed work with no real regulation while providing specific benefits, that results in distortions of competition".
In a recent interview to L’Entreprise Magazine*, M. Griset mentioned 3 ways to adjust the auto-entrepreneur regime:
- Exclude crafts activities from the auto-entrepreneur.
- Impose the same fiscal and social charges.
- Restrict the auto-entrepreneur status for one year, to get started, then forcing the small entrepreneur to switch to a standard regime (i.e. entreprise individuelle under regime reel simplifie).
The Figaro Economie** confirmed last week that the FEDAE, the national association for auto-entrepreneurs would meet-up with Ms Pinel by the end of June, in order to talk about adjustments to bring the auto-entrepreneur regime."
* link to article: http://lentreprise.lexpress.fr/statut-creation-entreprise/auto-entrepreneur-l-avis-du-president-des-artisans-alain-griset_33258.html
** link to Figaro’s article : http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/2012/06/07/97002-20120607FILWWW00425-les-auto-entrepreneurs-ecoutes.php
Andrew- could you please point me in the right direction as to how to leave the AE scheme-ta
has been signed along with all the others but I'll have left the AE scheme in a couple of months, in since the start in 2009, and be one of those moaning about how unfait it is that others pay so little in cotisations...!
Sign the petition to show you care about saving AE. Thanks
http://www.federation-auto-entrepreneur.fr/petition.php
It really is a difficult one to call. I can see both sides of the argument, especiallconcerning artisans. The services/prof libérale side of things has been far less targeted and criticised but the problem remains in all other "standard" statues - the monthly cotisations which are pretty difficult when there's no work coming in and exactly the reason I didn't go indépendant prior to 2009! all hot air at the moment - on verra...
It is a touchy one because people who do work of the kind my OH and I do will be financially up against the wall because some periods like the present, we might get an advance in one tax year and the balance in the next then have no work for months but with a regime that assumes you are always working it is predestined to go wrong.
Unfortunately folks, this is what I've been talking about/predicting for a while now. It's still in the "consultation stage" but there is a real desire from many people, including Hollande, to recreate a level playing field and change/freeze/do away with the auto entrepreneur statue. It has created real problems for artisans in the Aveyron that I know about and have talked to people who have first hand experience of it. Example of Rodez where there is a large Bosch factory employing over 1500 people, many of whom set themselves up as AE to do odd jobing/bricolage and full on building work in the Rodez area, they hire the tools from the factory for next to nothing as part of their company benefits, already have excellent mutuelle paid for by Bosch, do shift work so are free to work mornings or afternoons... they already have very well paid fairly safe jobs in the factory then 'steal' the work of local artisans who simply can't compete.
This is the other side of the AE scheme that many expats aren't aware of and shows why there's so much contempt for the status in some areas.
Sounds like a move to edge the AE scheme towards the door, no?
Thanks Sheila. Looks like a case of 'wait and see with bated breath'