Will employees see immediate benefits of lunch voucher increase?

(NG/las) As of January 2017, the value of "chèques-repas" vouchers, currently at €8.40 each, will increase to €10.80.

The 30% increase is foreseen as part of the tax reform, and the adjustment is welcome by many: from trade unions to restaurant operators, to providers managing the vouchers —not to mention the roughly 60,000 employees who benefit from them. 

It's the first time in over 20 years that the value has increased; in 2002, however, the increase was only by one cent. Restaurants and supermarkets should benefit from the additional purchasing power of approximately 2.6 million euros per month.

Lunch vouchers include a contribution by employers to their employees, largely exempt from taxation. Nevertheless, many employees won't be able to enjoy the increase immediately after January 1.

"The timetable of the reform is not easy for our customers," stated Sylvie Favaut, director of Sodexo, the market leader of the vouchers. Companies will need to wait until the reform is finalised, and that's a quick turnaround even for large companies.

The rise is being discussed in companies, and employers are free to accept the adjustment, although the fact that it is tax advantageous should make their decision easier. But it's unclear whether the participation of the employees nevertheless increases.

Currently, the reform would change nothing except the amounts: although discussions are underway to switch from paper vouchers to digital solutions such as smartphone apps, those plans are "not sufficiently advanced to implement them with the tax reform", according to Bob Kieffer of the finance ministry.