Michel Barnier stated, in an interview published online by The FigaroThursday, November 28, having decided not to “increase taxes on electricity” in the 2025 finance bill, currently being debated in Parliament and which the Prime Minister could adopt by activating article 49.3 of the Constitution.
“ I have decided not to raise taxes on electricity in the 2025 finance billBarnier stated in an excerpt from the interview published by the newspaper. This will allow a reduction in electricity prices of 14%, which will go far beyond the 9% reduction initially planned. ». The head of Government thus agrees to one of the main demands of Marine Le Pen, whom he met on Monday in Matignon as president of the National Rally parliamentary group.
On this occasion, the representative of the far-right party had demanded in particular this week “Clear and firm commitments to abandon the 3,000 million euro increase in the price of electricity [au budget de l’Etat], “the abandonment of the dereimbursement of new medications and the deindexation of pensions”otherwise threatening to overthrow the government. “ Whether in my majority or in the opposition leaders I received: almost all of them asked me to evolve », declared Michel Barnier in Figaro.
For several days, pressure on the government, threatened with censure in the National Assembly, has been increasing in a context of stagnant budget debates. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Antoine Armand, stated on Thursday morning that he was willing to do “concessions” on the budget texts, to avoid ” storm “ economic and financial that would result, according to him, from the fall of the government without a budget.
“Whatever the differences in values we have, today we face a very serious situation for the country. The Prime Minister spoke of a “storm”. It is not a word chosen at random, it is a word that has financial, economic and budgetary resonance, and we are obviously willing to make concessions to avoid this storm.declared Armand to BFM-TV and RMC, two days after Prime Minister Michel Barnier sounded the alarm on the “20 h” program on TF1.
The minister had already mentioned the electricity tax, the increase planned in the government’s draft budget is considered “inadmissible” by the National Assembly (RN). The RN deputies can decide the vote on a motion of censure, with their contingent of 140 deputies (including their sixteen allies from Eric Ciotti’s group).
This tax, which is one of the main provisions of the draft budget, authorizes the government to increase taxes to a level higher than that prevailing before the tariff shield against inflation. It is supposed to raise 3.4 billion euros. While the government highlights a 9% reduction in the French electricity bill, thanks to the fall in wholesale prices on the market, the RN maintains that it would be even greater without this increase.
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On Thursday, Antoine Armand warned all groups tempted by the vote of a motion of no confidence, while the left-wing parties allied in the New Popular Front (NFP) – PS, LFI, PCF and Ecologists – promised to present one as soon as the Prime Minister makes use of article 49.3 of the Constitution to allow the approval of the State and/or Social Security Budgets in the Chamber.
