It's costing more to be sick, Highway Robbery?, Higher fares on the High Speed Train, Every LDL counts, Who's hot for tips?, Taxes to fall... but not yet

- There’s no such thing as a free lunch – as Mike Meade points out in“Meadia” – nor lots of other things we might hope were “free”. That’s more and more the case with medical care. As from this year patients are required to pay €18 of the charge for all procedures costing over €91, and that’s on top of the percentage they (or usually theirmutuelles) have to fork out already. Insurance premiums will rise to match this. Then there’s the “free” taxis. Until now doctors could authorise the reimbursement of transport costs for in-patients travelling to and from hospital. That pay-out has now been cut to 64%. And bad news if you’re taking “venotonics”, products to relieve “heavy legs”. They’re now reimbursed at only 15% – and from 2008 they’ll be taken off the list of medicines you can claim for.

- As we noted last time, household insurance (multi-risque) will rise this year by up to 5%. On the other hand, car insurance is falling by around 2.5% (up to 3% on some new contracts). But if you take theautoroute you’re paying more. The biggest hikes have been made by Escota which runs the motorways in this region, with average increases of 2.24% for cars, so at the Antibes toll you now get charged €2.60 and at Toulon-Carnoules €2. And there’s more bad news if you’ve chosen to drive a gas-guzzler. To encourage more less-polluting cars those vehicles which emit over 200 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre have been hit by a special tax which ranges up to €3000 a year.

- Okay, you take the train and leave the 4x4 at home. Well, that’s certainly going to be cheaper but normal TGV fares have just gone up again: Nice-Paris in second class now costs €105, in first €146; however, promotional fares (Prem’s, carte senior, 12-25 and others) are unaffected.

- With many prices (and rents) spiralling, major supermarkets, already under pressure from hard discount stores, have been multiplying special offers to keep people buying – three for the price of two, batch sales (twelve cans as a lot, for example). Elka Carlsson, a Swedish homemaker we spoke to recently, who admits to budgeting “very carefully”, told us by keeping a close eye on promotions at Carrefour and making targeted visits to hard discounter Lidl she’s cut her weekly outlay by “around 15 per cent” a week and, she adds, “at Lidl you also save time because of the limited choice”.

- How much do you spend on tips? In cafés and restaurants, for example. Not much, judging from the opinions of those who work in them. I talked to Joël, a waiter in a busy café/restaurant on the Avenue in Nice. “It’s bad,” he told me. “First, there’s the euro. Before it came in, if three or four people or even a couple had lunch you’d often find a 10 franc piece on the table; now – if you’re lucky – you’ll get 1 euro and that’s worth a third less. Then there’s the rising cost of living. With coffees and suchlike, you’re doing well to get 5 cents. But we have to live as well!” Joël told me the most generous clients were the Italians, the meanest the British and the Dutch. Remember: tips aren’t just an extra but an important part of the income of workers who rarely get more than the minimum wage. And as Joël added, “The good thing is they’re not taxed.”

- With that now so familiar wolf-like grin he has, Dominique de Villepin announced recently that while no cut in income tax was possible this year it was definitely on the cards for 2007. Just in time for the presidential and legislative elections!

From Reporter 114 - Apr/May 2006 

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