A text that gives cold sweat to the presidential coalition. After the very turbulent review of the Purchasing Power Bill, MPs are now considering the Finance Reform Bill (PLFR). Behind a very technical title, the macronie wants to motivate its troops at all costs, at the risk of seeing opposition amendments of the highest symbolic value pass if the presence is too weak in the chamber.
Problem: the government, which had planned for the text to begin this Friday morning and end this Saturday, had to revise its schedule, since the purchasing power text was only voted on this Friday morning. A detail that is very important.
“I doubt all of our elected officials are there”
“We’ll have to be there on Saturday and probably Sunday. I doubt all of our elected officials will be there on a weekend in late July,” a party executive tells BFMTV.com.
Anxious to seem to listen to the compromise and not wanting to create tension from the start of the discussions, Bruno Le Maire approached the hemicycle this Friday afternoon showing an open face.
“There are margins of discussion about the project that we present”, thus assured the Minister of Economy.
However, the temperature has already risen a notch in the finance committee, where the text was studied upstream, just at the same time as the examination in the floor of the Covid-19 bill. What pushes the elected Renaissance to run through the corridors to vote on the text, leaving the field open to opposition deputies to amend the PLFR.
An amendment on reinstating the ISF rejected in extremis in committee
Several amendments ultimately rejected by just two votes would have had strong political significance. The rebels have thus tried to propose the restoration of the wealth tax (ISF), buried by Emmanuel Macron in 2017, in favor of the real estate wealth tax (IFI). The rise in corporate tax, one of the promises of rebellious France, has also been on the table several times.
“We are going to be on the block and we will all be present to promote our amendments,” smiles a rebellious deputy.
But Macronists could also show a desire for windfall tax independence amid record inflation. Several giants have thus reaped unprecedented profits in recent months, such as the French giant CMA CGM, the third largest shipowner in the world, which in the first quarter reaped a record net profit of 7.2 billion dollars.
Towards a possible superprofit tax
While the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire and Aurore Bergé oppose this tax, others at Renaissance take advantage of it.
“Along with many majority deputies, we are in favor of an exceptional contribution on companies that have generated profits linked to an income situation,” explained Sacha Houlié, president of the Legal Commission in an interview with the echoes this Wednesday.
After the withdrawal of the amendment by the majority deputy Stella Dupont who shared this position, Éric Coquerel made it known on Twitter that he had “taken this amendment as a subamendment on his behalf”.
“Thus, the many deputies who wanted to vote for her will be able to do so,” said the president of the Finance Commission.
A gesture from Le Maire on fuels to cajole LR
However, the government hopes to have managed to calm the LR deputies on the issue, some of whom are also interested in this tax.
As a gesture, Bruno Le Maire opened the door this Friday morning on BFMTV to an increase or extension of the discount of 18 cents on the price of fuel. A nod to his former colleagues on the right who claim a discount of 40 cents.
“The LR deputies are ready to make a gesture in your direction … on the condition of winning our priority demands. At this stage, we are far from the mark,” LR deputy Véronique Louwagie responded on Friday night in the hemicycle.
On the side of the RN, one of its main demands in this PLFR includes “the abolition of VAT on a basket of 100 essential products.” His amendment seeking exemption from income tax for those under 30 years of age has already been rejected.
Source: BFM TV
