The National Assembly voted on Friday to double the tax-free aid that companies can pay employees to cover their fuel costs, raising the ceiling from 200 euros to 400 euros. “We must ensure that working French people are not penalized by prices at petrol stations,” said budget rapporteur Jean-René Cazeneuve (LREM), stressing “a very balanced proposal.”
MEPs voted in favor of a LREM amendment doubling the fuel aid from €200 to €400, as part of the first reading of the draft amending budget for 2022. It has been increased from €200 to €600 for the Overseas Territories, through of a subamendment by members of the opposition group LIOT. On the left, lawmakers deplored a measure that “didn’t go far enough.” On the right, LR asked for the same duplication of help.
Possible combination with transport pass
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had opened the door on Thursday to this duplication, and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire confirmed it this Friday, specifying that it would be possible to combine it with the support of the public transport subscription. This boost was foreseen in the preliminary versions of the purchasing power measures, but it finally disappeared from the reformatory finance bill (PLFR).
The return of this provision occurs when the executive and Les Républicains try to reach an agreement in the face of the high level of fuel prices, within the framework of the discussions in the Assembly. The deputies also approved another modification of the LREM that aims to promote an increase in the “sustainable mobility package” that employers pay: the accumulation ceiling with transport passes will go from 600 to 800 euros.
Source: BFM TV
