Cost of visiting your GP has risen to €25
Price of an appointment rises €2, the cost of gas drops, some RSI rules change - and something Airbnb hosts in France need to know
The cost of visiting a doctor increases by €2 on May 1, along with a number of other important changes that will affect the cost of living in France.
The long-anticipated increase - which was agreed last summer following months of negotiations - means the price of a visit to the GP is now €25, while a consultation for a child under the age of six has risen to €30.
Doctors have warned, however, that the increase - which came following six years of fixed prices - will not be enough to reverse the number of GPs leaving the profession. The Ordre des médecins has warned that the number of practising doctors in France will be 25% lower in 2025 than the levels in 2007.
Across Europe, the average cost of a visit to a GP is €40.
While the cost of a GP visit has risen, the regulated price of gas for some 5.8million customers officially dropped an average of 3.3%, excluding taxes, on May 1. The regulator said that the fall reflects the dip in use throughout the warmer summer months.
An order published in the Journal Official on Sunday, April 30, means that from May 1, towns and cities of more than 200,000 inhabitants - along with all towns in the 'petit couronne' surrounding Paris - can force Airbnb and other short-term rental website hosts to officially register their properties. Those who do rent rooms in their main homes on a short-term basis via such hosting websites will be limited to a maximum number of days' rental per year.
The Ministry of Finance has made public a digital platform used by tax officials across most of France to estimate the value of real estate. The simulator, available via the finance ministry's website, does not yet cover Alsace-Moselle or Mayotte.
Finally, the unpopular RSI regime for self-employed people is changing, with new rules affecting sickness and maternity pay coming into force.
