"France's 2026 Budget includes an amendment that prohibits professionals and businesses from paying their taxes by cheque. This measure will come into effect as soon as the Budget is finally adopted, in March. The measure is expected to be extended to individual tax payers by the summer of 2027, in time for that year's income tax payments, . The Economy Ministry intends to encourage businesses to use other means of payment in 2027, when its only remaining processing centre is scheduled to close."
"This is not the big deal it may initially seem, as the French increasingly use bank cards, transfers and mobile applications. The use of cheques has plummeted in the past 26 years. In 2000, cheques accounted for 37.5 percent of transactions. Today, that figure is two percent. The Ministry, then, is merely reacting to modern preferences. "The question arose of whether or not to reinvest in this tool. I prioritised other investments and chose to accelerate the reduction of the cheque," Amélie Verdier, the Director General of Public Finances, said."
"In 2023, officials closed cheque processing centres in Lille and Créteil, with services outsourced to a private contractor. The one remaining centre, in Rennes, is scheduled to close in the summer of 2027, when the contract with the service provider expires. Payment options Changes are already underway for invoices and other documents to remove the possibility of paying by cheque. These are the alternatives available. Online payment: log on to impots.gouv.fr to pay via your personal account or via the 'Pay online' button, using your tax number and your notice number. Bank transfer: give a transfer order to your bank, indicating the bank details, the nature and the due date of the tax. Interbank Payment Order (TIP SEPA):"
France's 2026 Budget amends rules to prohibit professionals and businesses from paying taxes by cheque, effective once the Budget is adopted in March. The ban is set to be extended to individual taxpayers by summer 2027 in time for income tax payments. The Economy Ministry plans to encourage alternative electronic payments as the sole remaining public cheque processing centre is scheduled to close in 2027. Cheque usage has fallen from 37.5 percent of transactions in 2000 to about two percent today. Officials closed centres in Lille and Créteil in 2023 and outsourced processing to a private contractor. Online payment, bank transfer and TIP SEPA are presented as alternatives.
Read at The Local France
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]