The National Assembly voted on Saturday to abolish the audiovisual license fee and narrowly rejected a tax on the “super profits” of large groups, after difficulties in the majority and a rise in tension, waiting for the resume of the debates about purchasing power.
After four days of heated debate on the bill in favor of purchasing power, the deputies were dealing since Friday, via the amending budget project, with the second part of the measures aimed at counteracting the effects of inflation.
At the end of Saturday afternoon, the LREM deputies were in the minority: contrary to what they wanted, the Assembly decided by 2022 to allocate 120 million to the departments that pay the RSA, to fully compensate the 4% increase in this benefit. scheduled by the state.
An amendment in this sense was adopted by the conjunction of the favorable votes of the left, RN, LR but also, and this is the first time, of the deputies of the Horizontes group allied with the majority.
The Economy Minister, Bruno Le Maire, rebuked those “who only have the word restoration of public finances in their mouths” and who “incur such public spending.”
Reminders of the rules and suspensions of the session followed, while the left rejoiced that “the presidential minority no longer decides everything alone.”
“Little Psychodrama”
After this “little psychodrama”, according to the communist Nicolas Sansu, Bruno Le Maire calmed things down by agreeing to a “job” with all the political groups on future financial support for communities in difficulty.
“The minister has endorsed that it is not possible to pass by force” in this Assembly where the Macronists only have a relative majority, pointed out the president of the Finance Commission Éric Coquerel (LFI).
While some 375 amendments were still on the menu, completing the review of this amended budget overnight seemed out of reach. Resumption finally scheduled for Monday of this first reading at around 5:00 p.m.
The following point in the text has been clarified: Bruno Le Maire has spoken in favor of increasing the reduction per liter of fuel from 18 to 30 cents, in a compromise with the Les Républicains deputies who asked to go “further”.
“The discount could increase from 18 to 30 euro cents in September and October, then increase to 10 in November and 10 in December,” he explained. And with the discount of 20 cents at the pump announced by TotalEnergies, “you would have a fuel price of 1.5 euros at certain service stations in France”, a threshold defended by LR.
Voted with LR and RN to abolish the TV license
In the morning, the abolition of the canon that finances public broadcasting, promised by Emmanuel Macron, had passed without incident, although it raised many questions about the independence of the media involved. LR and RN voted in favour, the left-wing alliance Nupes unanimously against.
Majority and LR amendments were adopted to affect “a fraction” of VAT, amounting to some €3.7 billion, in order to address concerns about the financing of this sector.
The Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, expressed his attachment to “a strong public audiovisual”, describing this rate based on the possession of a television as “obsolete”, at the time of tablets and other smartphones. The rate is fixed at 138 euros per year in mainland France.
Left-wing concern about the independence of public broadcasting
Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak argued that “it is not the rate that guarantees independence”, but rather Arcom (ex-CSA), which appoints the leaders of public broadcasting.
The left has accused the government of taking inspiration from the far right to ultimately dismantle public broadcasting. “Zemmour and Mrs. Le Pen had asked for it, Mr. Macron will have done it,” launched Stéphane Peu (PCF).
The president of the RN group, however, considered that “the government’s project has nothing to do with what we want to do”, that is, a “privatization” in good and due form.
Superprofit tax rejected
The presidential camp often must piece together support in the face of sometimes combined attacks from the opposition. The support of LR, which hoped that this budget project would be approved without having to count on the votes of RN, materialized in the rejection of the “super profits” tax with 18 votes.
Four deputies from the majority abstained, including Sacha Houlié and Caroline Janvier, who had defended the principle of this tax. One of his colleagues at Horizons voted in favour. Meanwhile, the Minister of Economy has criticized the principle of a tax – “ideological emphasis”, according to him.
The left-wing alliance Nupes deplored this refusal, citing the cases of Spain, Great Britain or Italy that adopted exceptional taxes on “super profits”.
Source: BFM TV
