The National Assembly voted on Tuesday to tax tips paid by bank card in 2022 and 2023, in particular for hotel and restaurant employees, a measure criticized by the left which calls for an increase in salaries.
With this amendment by the MoDem Jean-Noël Barrot, the majority deputies want to materialize an announcement by President Emmanuel Macron at the end of September aimed at ensuring that "
tips paid by credit card are free of charge for employers and tax-free for employees
".
Read alsoTipping, a declining habit among the French
Adopted at first reading during the examination of the 2022 budget, this measure of "
additional remuneration
" is presented as a response to the "
recruitment difficulties
" of the hotel and catering industry and the "
160,000 positions
" unfilled, according to Jean -Noël Barrot. However, the system is not limited to this sector and concerns “
salaried professions in contact with customers
”, with a ceiling of 1.6 minimum wage, below which employees can benefit from this tax exemption.
On the right, Eric Woerth (LR) regretted that the measure does not apply to all taxis, "
because most are craftsmen
". It also does not apply to freelancers working for platforms like Uber or Deliveroo. On the far right, RN Sébastien Chenu challenged a “
false good idea
”, which will “
make the tip in cash disappear
”.
On the left, Éric Coquerel (LFI) accused the government of opening a “
Pandora's box
” with a “
message
” to employers: “
Pay your employees with this type of supplement!
". The "
question, it is the low wages
", in particular of the waiters, in his eyes. The ex-LREM Émilie Cariou (not registered) considered “
quite lamentable
” the provision which makes “
rest on the goodwill of each of the French people the capacity to better remunerate the employees
”. For the center-right MP Thierry Benoit (UDI), it should not be "
made a cheese
", it is simply a "
facility offered to customers and servers
".
Read alsoTips for taxis and VTC soon to be tax-exempt?
The measure, which will still be debated during the rest of the parliamentary shuttle, affects all tips, but will apply de facto to those paid by bank card, since those in cash are not checked.
It responds to the "
growing increase in electronic and digital payments
" at the expense of cash, usually more "
conducive to the allocation of tips,
" said Minister of Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt.
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