Health, taxation, salaries… this second month of the summer holidays is accompanied by many changes in the three countries.
In Luxembourg, as in France and Belgium, every 1is of the month is regularly accompanied by theentry into force of a series of measures, impacting more or less directly the daily life of the population. For once, the changes made in August are legion. Here are the main ones.
In Luxembourg, the rent subsidy is increased
The government, through the Minister of Housing Henri Kox, had announced it, it is now done. In order to cope with the rise in rent prices but also in energy prices, the rent subsidy is therefore revalued from this Monday 1is august. Henri Kox recalled that this aid for tenants in difficulty was ” calculated according to household income and composition “, ensuring that the new amounts would increase by an average of 50% compared to the current situation ».
Close to 42,000 people should be entitled to this rent subsidy. To claim it, you must of course be a tenant of your accommodation and have a rent representing at least 25% of the household budget.
In France, the focus on wages
In response to runaway inflation, the minimum wage increases automatically from August, this time by 2.01% (i.e. +26 euros). This is the third increase of the year for the French minimum wage, which now stands at 1 329,66 euros.
This was a government promise under the Purchasing Power Act: the index point of civil servants sees himself too upgraded to 1is August (by 3.5%). It is planned to have a retroactive effect for the month of July. In concrete terms, this corresponds to an increase of 45 euros net for the lowest indices.
Among the other measures in force: the 4% increase in social benefits (family allowances, social minima, RSA, student grants, disabled adult allowance) and retirement pensions, provided that the purchasing power law is passed. As with the index point for civil servants, it is planned to have a retroactive effect for the month of July.
On the savings side, the 1is August will be accompanied bya change to 2% of the rates for the Livret A and the sustainable and solidarity development booklet (LDDS). As for the LEP rate (popular savings account), it climbs to 4.6% ( once morest 2.2% so far).
Priority to health in Belgium
The Belgians were probably much less eager than the Luxembourgers and the French to reach the 1is august. And for good reason: unlike their neighbours, this day is accompanied by various increases which they would have gladly done without.
Starting with remote medical consultations which are experiencing some changes for their reimbursements. The Belgian government has indeed decided to pay more for the fees of doctors and health specialists. Consequence: following reimbursement, patients must now still pay four euros for a video consultation and two euros for a telephone consultation (or only one euro in both cases for people benefiting from the increased intervention of the Inami, the National Institute for Sickness and Invalidity Insurance).
Still in the field of health, price increases also apply to certain speech therapists (speech therapists). Those who have not agreed to join the new “R/22” agreement, which sets the official rates (29.28 euros per half hour, with a patient share of 5.50 euros), have the possibility to apply supplements to the prices of their services. In fact, this represents nearly three out of five speech therapists in Belgium.
Finally, indexation is planned for Belgian pensions and social allowances. The pivot index having been exceeded, these increase by 2% from the 1is august.
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