This Tuesday morning, January 10, Mireille Larrède, prefect of the Lot and Jacques Oziol, departmental director of public finances of the Lot, brought together representatives of crafts, VSEs-SMEs, consular Chambers to explain the various aid mechanisms put in place in place by the state.
To support businesses hard hit by soaring energy prices, the government has put in place four aid schemes. Mireille Larrède, prefect of the Lot and Jacques Oziol, departmental director of public finances of the Lot therefore presented them during a meeting with the various actors of the crafts, the VSEs and the SMEs, the representatives of the professional federations as well as the CCI and the CMA. “No company should be left alone in this situation. We are making sure that each company has personalized contact,” explained the State representative. The discussions made it possible to respond to the fears and questions of professionals in the face of increases energy costs. The director of DDFiP therefore detailed the four different financial aid and support schemes for companies. “These are scalable schemes, with several levels and several measures. They target VSEs, which are more fragile. For three of the four assistance devices, all you have to do is turn to your energy supplier and take the steps with it”
The tariff shield
Aid intended only for VSEs (companies with fewer than 10 employees with an annual turnover of less than 2 million euros) with an electricity meter with a power of less than 36 kVA. Since January 1, the price shield has limited gas price increases to 15%. Regarding electricity bills, their increase is also limited to 15% from February 2023. To benefit from this aid, the company must contact its energy supplier and send it an eligibility certificate, which can be downloaded from the energy supplier website.
“Electricity” price limited to 280 euros MWh
For VSEs that are not protected by the tariff shield. The suppliers have agreed to guarantee all VSEs an average annual tariff of 280 euros/MWh smoothed over the year 2023. This aid is available to VSEs that have renewed their electricity supply contract in the second half of 2022 and who do not not the regulated selling price. A form should be sent to the electricity supplier, indicating the wish for a renegotiation of the electricity contract. This document can be downloaded from the website https://www. impots.gouv.fr/professionnel or on the website of each energy supplier.
Electricity buffer for SMEs
This system is in addition to the measures already implemented to support companies in the face of increases in electricity prices. The electricity buffer is intended for all SMEs (less than 250 employees, 50 million euros in turnover or 43 million euros in balance sheet) not eligible for the tariff shield, and for all local authorities and public establishments n having no competitive activities, whatever their status. The aid will be integrated directly into consumers’ electricity bills and the State will compensate suppliers. The only step to take for the company to benefit from this aid is to complete and send to the electricity supplier a certificate of eligibility for the system, which can be downloaded from the site: https://www.impots.gouv. en/damper-device-electricity-0
This aid is calculated on the “energy share” of a given contract, i.e. the average annual price of electricity excluding the costs of routing the electricity through the network (network tariff or Turpe) and without taxes. This “energy share”, present in the contracts and commercial proposals of the vast majority of VSEs and SMEs, is expressed in euros/MWh or in euros/kWh.
The payment assistance desk
The counter for the November and December 2022 period will be open on Monday 16 January. To qualify: the price of energy during the period of the aid application must have increased by 50% compared to the average price paid in 2021; the company’s energy expenditure during the aid application period must represent more than 3% of its 2021 turnover (over the same period). Since January 1, all VSEs and SMEs eligible for the electricity shock absorber scheme and which would still fulfill, following taking into account the benefit of the shock absorber, the eligibility criteria for the assistance window for the payment of electricity bills. Electricity and gas can also file a request for aid, via the site www.impots.gouv.fr and combine the two aids. With regard to the gas bill, all companies will have access until 31 December 2023 to the same gas bill payment aid window capped at four million euros, 50 million euros and 150 million euros. euros.
A dedicated departmental adviser
Finally, the impots.gouv.fr site offers an online simulator. The State services in the Lot are available to companies that encounter difficulties in their aid application procedures. The departmental adviser on exiting the Lot crisis, Antoine Beucher can be reached at [email protected] or by telephone on 05 65 20 32 34 or 06 23 64 07 85. He exercises his activity in complete confidentiality and in compliance with business secrecy and fiscal secrecy. After having established a diagnosis of the situation of the company, he will be able to direct towards the interlocutor best adapted to a need or to mobilize, under certain conditions, one of the tools of financial accompaniment put in place by the State.