The French government said it was in "total solidarity with businesses and their employees" in rolling out the latest support measures. They flesh out a €45 billion ($50.3 billion) bailout presented last week by President Emmanuel Macron to suspend corporate and personal tax collections and debt payments, allow small businesses to defer utility bills, guarantee €300 billion in company bank loans and cover workers' unemployment insurance benefits.
In a how-to document aimed at French taxpayers, the government said refunds of previous VAT payments can be obtained by a business electronically, either directly or through an approved partner.
"In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, requests for reimbursement of VAT credits will be dealt with as quickly as possible" by the French General Directorate of Public Finance, the statement said.
It also laid out steps for companies to defer their and their employees' withheld contributions to France's main social security and family benefit fund, known as URSSAF. Employers whose URSSAF payment date falls on the 15th day of the month can postpone all or part of the payment of their March contributions. Likewise, employers with an URSSAF payment date on the fifth day of the month can postpone all or part of the combined contribution due April 5.
In some circumstances, the Commission of Heads of Financial Services can grant financially strapped companies special terms for paying their tax and social security obligations, the government said.
Very small businesses and freelance workers were also advised how to obtain benefits of up to €1,500 from a "solidarity fund" financed by the central and regional governments as well as state-backed insurers. To be eligible, an applicant must have less than €1 million of yearly turnover and taxable annual profit of less than €60,000, and have undergone either an administrative closure or experienced a revenue loss of 70% in March 2020 compared with March 2019.
Also Friday, France extended its coronavirus lockdown for another two weeks, through April 15, as Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned of "difficult days" to come following a surge in cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, which has begun to stress the country's health care system.
The extension came as France reported another 299 deaths from the virus, increasing the total toll to 1,995, as officials warned it was too early to expect any impact from the lockdown.
French public health official Jérôme Salomon was quoted by local media as saying 32,964 people had tested positive for the virus so far in France, although the real number of cases is likely far higher as testing was reserved for high-risk patients. The country's toll doesn't include those who died at home or in retirement communities.
A French government representative didn't respond to a request for comment.
--Editing by Neil Cohen.
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