France's government support on social charges for cultural business and artists

On 24 May  2020,  a  €3  billion  (US$ 3.5 billion) waiver of social charges for businesses in sectors particularly hard hit by the lockdown, including the cultural sector was announced.2 Those covered by the measure are very small and medium-sized enterprises (with fewer than 250 employees) that recorded a sharp drop in business following the administration’s decision to close due to the health crisis. They can claim a waiver of the employer’s contributions paid or deferred in the months of March to June 2020, relating to periods of employment from February to May 2020. In addition, artists and authors benefit from a one-time variable reduction in social contributions, calculated on the basis of their 2019 income.

(See Support measures for the catering, tourism, events, sports and culture sectors)