Undeclared cash earnings are costing France €7 billion a year

black money cash france

With two out of three of its self-employed workers pocketing “black money”, undeclared earnings could be costing France €7 billion per year.  

According to the French government, €14.6 billion in taxes were evaded in 2022. That’s an increase of 8.2% on the previous year and an estimated €7 billion has been attributed to the country’s self-employed, whose jobs make it easy to be paid “under the table”.  

WORST OFFENDERS 

The High Council for the Financing of Social Protection (HCFiPS) says the numbers from web-based platforms have revealed that two out of three self-employed auto-entrepreneurs in France don’t declare a portion of their earnings.  

The worst offenders are believed to be VTC drivers – taxi drivers, chauffeurs and the like – and it is estimated that 90% of workers in this sector fail to fully declare their income. Delivery drivers have a similar reputation: the HCFiPS says 73% could be getting away with earning more than they formally announce.  

Farmers, vineyard owners and market gardeners – given that agriculture is a historically cash-heavy industry – are also thought to under-declare by an estimated €500million. 

Finally, construction industry workers are also thought to be big “under declarers”, contributing to a loss of between €1 billion and €1.5 billion in social security contributions.  

UNFAIR TO TAX PAYERS 

This is infuriating to those who pay taxes, which are not insignificant in France. The minimum 20% tax rate is increased to 30% above a certain threshold of net taxable income, which is currently set at a rather low €27,478 for income received in 2022.  

Dominique Libault, HCFiPS President, says, “There is a real problem with auto-entrepreneurs and web platform workers. It is not just a problem with a lack of money for social security, but also the whole question of people undercutting other workers in the system who make proper declarations.” 

SPOT CHECKS 

Private sector employers are believed to be dishing out between 2.2% and 2.7% in black money to workers. This equates to between €5.1 and €6.4 billion in social security contribution losses. When unpaid contributions to unemployment insurance are added in, the number is more like €7 billion. 

This has prompted the HCFiPS to start workplace inspections again, something suspended during the pandemic. Their biggest focus will be on the suspected biggest culprits, namely drivers, but will extend to all sectors.  

Additionally, a report by HCFiPS put out in February has stated they will focus on “the new challenges of control and the fight against fraud” in a three-pronged attack. First, they would like to give collection bodies the means to improve responses. Second, to clarify the control measures so that they are legal and fair, hopefully inducing non-payers to comply. Finally, they would like to make the consequences of failing to correctly declare stricter in order to deter such behaviour in the first place.  

There is much legal wrangling that will need to be done before concrete actions can happen, and the HCFiPS definitely has its work cut out if it is going to regain control of what appears to be a worsening situation.  

 

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Photo source: Unsplash

Find (almost) everything under the sun at the Nice Fair

nice fair foire de nice

The Nice Fair is coming to the Palais des Expositions. It’s a shopping experience with literally hundreds of exhibitors selling goods and services for every lifestyle.  

Since 1935, the Nice Fair or Foire de Nice has been welcoming nearly 100,000 visitors every year to the Palais des Expositions. This shopping fest, which runs this year from 18th to 27th March, will feature no less than 400 stands and 500 brands from vendors who will come to sell their products and services.  

LIVE WELL SECTION INSIDE THE EXHIBITION CENTRE 

Organisers have thought out the plans extremely well, given the huge space. There is an Advice Area where those looking to meet with garden and home-improvement experts can help make decisions and get legal advice. 

There is also a Daily Life Area in the indoor part of the show featuring a laundry list of fantastic goods and services including, but in no way limited to, decorations, arts and craft, banks, beauty and health products, food and drinks, household appliance and even people skilled in the divinatory arts.  

OUTDOOR ITEMS IN THE EXHIBITION PARK 

The outdoor exhibition park has a variety of goods to kit out the garden, terrace or balcony, and includes such items as BBQs, plants, garden furniture, pools, hot tubs, and sun shades as well as the chance to meet trades people who can help make dream exteriors happen, like landscapers and gardeners. 

BUILDING IN THE EXHIBITION PALACE 

Looking to renovate, refit or decorate? This area has ideas on the latest trends and will host experts who can make it all happen alongside practical conferences and workshops. There’s even a new Housing Advice Centre where guests consult experts free of charge.  

AUTO WORLD ON THE EXTERIOR ESPLANADE 

Finally, the Nice Fair will host exhibitors to help in selecting modes of transport, whether new or used, including cars, electric scooters and bikes, and electric vehicles.   

The Nice Fair is open daily from 10am to 7pm, except on the final day when doors close at 6pm.  

Tickets are €6 for adult entry, €5 for students and kids under 12 can come for free. In addition, the Nice Fair is offering special days for select groups including 21st and 23rd for over 60s, a Ladies Day on 22nd, and guests arriving after 5pm are all welcome for no charge.  

 

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Photo source: Foire de Nice / Facebook

La Réserve, a butcher selling the “World’s Best Steak”, opens in Monaco’s La Condamine market

australian wagyu la réserve butcher boucherie monaco

A  new butcher with a refreshingly international range and devotion to the best animal husbandry and sustainable practices has opened in the Condamine market of Monaco. The La Réserve team meets with Monaco Life to explain all.   

The La Réserve butcher’s shop, which recently opened at Cabine 40 in the Marché de la Condamine, styles itself as an outward-looking and sustainability-focused butcher. It also counts not just one, but several of the world’s “Best Steak” amongst its display.  

The new venture from co-owners Vincent Lelasseux, Andrew Benjamin and Christopher Brown, who hail from Monaco, England and Belgium respectively, unites their joint experiences of more than a decade catering to the finest chefs of the global superyacht industry. This, combined with personal taste, explains the reasoning for La Réserve’s international range.  

Purveyors of the “World’s Best Steak” 

“It’s fantastic to be able to bring such an international selection of meat to the region,” says Andrew Benjamin. “The grass-fed Finnish beef is what I’m most proud of: these cattle graze near a chocolate factory and actually eat a portion of chocolate every day. The meat is that little bit darker and a little bit sweeter for it. The prime cut was a three-time winner in the World Steak Challenge. Another of my favourite products is the Finnish Ayrshire cattle: unbelievable flavour. That won ‘Best Grass-Fed Steak in the World’ for two years running too.” 

Wagyu, a specialist beef lauded by chefs around the world, is well-represented, with Australian Jack’s Creek Wagyu from New South Wales – a winner of ‘Best Ribeye Steak in the World’ – and Blackmore Wagyu from Victoria. The team has been sourcing a range of Japanese Wagyu and Kobe beef for yacht clients for several years and will be bringing this range to the Condamine market as well.  

La Réserve is also importing organic grass-fed Angus from Ireland along with organic Berkshire pork.  

“It took a while to get past some Brexit hurdles, but we’ve also managed to source award-winning Franconian sausages from Tunbridge Wells in England, my part of the country,” adds Benjamin.  

Keen supporters of organic farming and eco-friendly practices 

The owners are avid supporters of the organic farming movement and were eager to promote this central ethos in the naming of the store. La Réserve evokes the natural fields and pastures upon which the herds of the shop’s range graze.  

“Sustainability is very important to us, as it is to Monaco, and we’ve searched high and low for the best eco-friendly packaging in Europe,” says Brown. “We wanted to find a way to use biodegradable packaging and we’ve found the perfect solution with our Space Tec vacuum-packs. The meats are preserved in peak freshness and the packs can also be kept safely in the freezer for as long as two years in the right conditions.” 

The owners have run their superyacht provisioning business from Monaco since 2016, but decided to set up a physical shop in the Principality when the perfect space in the Condamine came onto the market. 

Along with its ideal location, just a few minutes’ walk from Port Hercule, having a shop in the Condamine comes with other benefits.  

Le Marché de la Condamine: “A lively place to work and visit” 

“One of the most attractive propositions to set up shop here is the delivery service run by the market. We pay a fee and our customers can get free delivery throughout Monaco. You can do all your shopping in one place and have it delivered right to your door. We’re in talks to sign up to a similar service that will be available to people as far afield as Cannes and Mandelieu,” Brown explains.

“The market is such a lively place to work and visit too,” adds Benjamin. “I’ve been coming often over the last few years to eat here with my family, and we’re all excited about the opportunity to spend more time in the market. The events put on by the town hall are fantastic and I’d love the chance to get involved in the future.” 

The shop, which is fronted by local Frenchman Taoufik Annani, is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 2pm.

 

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Photos by Kiri Huhtanen  

 

Safety Gate: chemical substances top annual list of health hazards for non-food products

The EU’s dangerous non-foods watchdog Safety Gate has found that cars, cosmetics and toys were the most reported products to pose potential health risks due to their concentration of chemical substances.  

On 13th March, the European Commission published its annual report on the Safety Gate, the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products. The report covers alerts notified during 2022, and the responses given by national authorities.

The most common products clocked by Safety Gate were toys, followed by motor vehicles, cosmetics, clothing, and electrical appliances. Last year, cosmetic products had a significantly higher number of alerts due to the use of recently banned chemical substances in perfumes and creams. Though this accounts for some of the alerts, risks were also found in a wider range of items. Certain toys had an “excessive concentration” of phthalates, which can cause reproductive system problems.

Whilst risks from chemical substances reigned supreme in 2022, there were also a high number of instances of products that could cause injury or choking.

The 30 nations of Safety Gate, including EU member states, were faced with 2,117 alerts and followed up with actions 3,932 times. Market surveillance authorities checked on these alerts, and 84% of the actions included additional measures being put in place, including recalls on potentially dangerous products.

WHAT NEXT?

A 2021 proposal to update regulations on product safety will soon replace the older version, modernising the basic structure for non-food consumer products. The new document will cover the challenges posed by the advent and rise of online sales and new technologies to provide a stronger safety net for the public.

Additionally, companies such as AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Rakuten France, Allegro, Etsy, bol.com, eMAG, Wish.com, Cdiscount and Joom are already part of an agreement called the Product Safety Pledge to remove unsafe items from their platforms.

This, they hope, will ensure only safe products are sold in the EU and will improve product safety regulations, make recalls faster and easier and streamline surveillance efforts.

 

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Photo: Illustration picture of the laboratory for health and safety where the toys are tested when suspected not to be to the European standards. Source: European Commission

 

F1 driver Thierry Boutsen appointed Circle of Friends President for the Prince’s Car Collection

thierry boutsen

Thierry Boutsen, the former F1 driver, has been named the new president of the Circle of Friends of the Car Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco, which offers high-end exhibitions and events linked to the association.  

The club name is definitely a mouthful, but the sentiment is pure inclusion, especially for those who share a passion for automobiles.  

The Circle of Friends of the Car Collection of H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco was born out of a desire to highlight this extraordinary assortment of cars in Monaco, which range from the vintage to the super-luxe. The club is open to all and the requests to join are trickling in at a steady pace.  

When asked how Boutsen, who is now the owner of Boutsen Aviation, a company that buys and sells private jets for business, became involved, he told the local press, “I was contacted by Salim Zeghdar first, then Christophe Villa and Jean-Pierre Campana, to see if I was interested in taking the presidency of this association. It is a very great honour that allows me to dive back into what I have experienced in the past. A truly extraordinary project. I had to have them repeat the request twice because I couldn’t believe my ears.” 

Plans for future events and exhibitions in the works

The club’s recent creation is partly due to the new home of the collection on Port Hercule. The modern space gives them the ability to hold events and exhibitions, and to be able to accommodate more people year-round.  

The association will be working in conjunction with Collections Director Valérie Closier to come up with “unique and very representative events, not specifically related to the Grand Prix, the Historic or the E-Prix, but which highlight the museum on its own”, as explained by Boutsen.  

The proof that the right man for the job was selected lies in Boutsen’s enthusiasm for the collection and his diplomatic answer when asked if he favours any cars over the others.  

His candid reply: “There are two cars from the Porsche Collection [currently on loan to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart] that I have driven in competition, the 962 and GT1, which gave me a lot of pleasure. But I put them all on an equal footing in fact because they make me dream.” 

For more information about the collection and how to see if for yourself, please click here

 

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Photo courtesy of the Palais Princier de Monaco

Tennis: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal headline Monte-Carlo Masters line-up

Nadal Monte-Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas have all been confirmed for next month’s Monte-Carlo Masters.

The new director of the Monte-Carlo Masters, David Massey, revealed in February that he expected the greats of the game to grace the iconic clay courts of the Monte-Carlo Country Club (MCCC) in April. The full list of participants has now been revealed.

The return of the king of clay – fitness permitting

Despite Massey confirming in February that Nadal had signed up for the tournament, there were doubts about the Spaniard’s fitness. Those doubts still persist, but Nadal, who is currently nursing the injury in Mallorca, is fighting to compete and win his 13th Monte-Carlo Masters title.

On the full list of participants in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, Nadal’s name features, but his presence is caveated. In order to compete, he will need a mandatory physical and competition clearance form.

Photo by Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

As well as compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, Monaco-resident Djokovic arguably represents Nadal’s main rival for the title. The Serbian will be well rested after being denied entry for the Indian Wells tournament in the United States this month and will be hoping to improve on last year’s showing at the MCCC, when he was dumped out of the competition in the first round against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Fokina ultimately went all the way to the final last year. However, he came up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was relentless in his pursuit of retaining his title. The Greek player will be looking to make it three-in-a-row next month.

Massey revealed that Gaël Monfils wished to be included as a wild card, and the Frenchman does currently feature on the list, presented during a press conference in Paris on Tuesday. Alongside Richard Gasquet and Benjamin Bonzi, Monfils is one of three Frenchman set to compete, and he has used his entry protection to make the cut.

A chance for Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka?

Whilst almost all of the spots have been attributed, four invitations will be sent just days before the beginning of the event on Saturday 8th April. Former winners Stan Wawrinka and Fabio Fognini will be amongst the favourites to receive an invitation to the MCCC, as will British Grand Slam winner Andy Murray.

“I can’t give the names at the moment. Once again, it’s very difficult to decide,” said Massey on Tuesday.

Photo of David Massey and Mlle Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy by Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

As well as the main draw and the invitations, which are yet to be decided, there will also be a qualification round, with players such as Monaco’s Lucas Catarina hoping to earn their place.

With all of the world’s Top 20, and many within the Top 45 set to compete, the 126th edition of the Monte-Carlo Masters, branded as “an ode to the Riviera,” looks set to be a classic.

 

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Photo by Yann Caradec