Our French independents have always been apart from the general regime of
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pensions. They have their own funds and, unlike the special SNCF or RATP schemes for example, they do not ask for balance grants from public funds. Their reserves are also significant (2 billion for lawyers, almost 6 years of benefits).
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You should know that our independents are those in Europe who pay the most contributions for their social security, with 42% of contributions, when the Dutch pay 33%, the Germans 14.6%, the British 9% ... Several countries , like Germany, leave the choice to their self-employed to insure themselves for their retirement, others, like Sweden, make them contribute but at low percentages.
Artisans contribute, up to a social security ceiling (3428 euros per month) at 25.4%, veterinarians at 19.4%, lawyers at 13% ... Want them to contribute at 28.12% like employees seems a huge step to climb in terms of contributions.
Government minimizes premium gap
Even if the government recognizes that the situation of an employee and a self-employed person is not comparable since the second is his own employer, and as such pays all contributions (employers + employees) and assumes his own risks and therefore a contribution base which can be variable, he believes that the contribution gap may be less significant than we think. And this for several reasons: scales of contribution bases that are extremely different from one status to another, existence of minimum contributions that do not exist among employees, calculation on a net income unlike employees (gross income).
Consequently, the government wishes to apply to the self-employed a scale different from the wage scale of employees which is 28.12% up to 3 PASS (for "Annual social security levy", ie the amount (which is used to calculate certain social contributions and certain exemptions, in particular contributions and pension rights): 28.12% up to 1 PASS, 12.94% between 1 and 3 PASS, 2.81% above beyond 3 PASS.
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The contribution scale will therefore not be the same for the self-employed as for the employees. In addition, the government concedes a fairly long transition period, of the order of 15 years, and the possibility of a sub-appeal of contributions and the use of reserves to mitigate the effect on the professions most affected by an increase in contributions, what they call a smoothing which will take place by prescription: "This prescription may also provide call rates lower than unity, so that plans with reserves can use part of it to reduce the extent of the possible increase in direct debits, or improve the return on their contributions. ” In short, we are swimming in complete confusion.
The impact study simulations show contrasting situations for the self-employed, but overall we can note a trend in the increase in contributions up to 1 PASS. For young professionals who will enter these professions, the prospect of a better retirement does not weigh in the face of an increase in immediate expenses. Given all these pitfalls and the certainty which appears that one will never be able to have an identical universal pension plan between the employees and the self-employed, one can legitimately ask the question: the independent ones have their place in the universal pension ? Shouldn't they be allowed, as in Germany, to choose their retirement insurance and their level of insurance rather than wanting to shoehorn them into a scheme that does not suit them? Hence the rating of 3/10.
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The Macronometer, observatory of government reforms, is a site of the iFRAP Foundation in partnership with Le Figaro. It is a tool dedicated to the evaluation of Emmanuel Macron's five-year term: econometric evaluation in relation to his electoral program and to the announcements of his government. With Le Macronomètre, government action is scored out of 10 every Wednesday before the Council of Ministers and becomes readable at a glance. The Macronometer allows everyone to make an opinion on the keeping or not of the promises of the President of the Republic and on the effectiveness of government reforms.