Tax increase: an “exceptional and temporary” contribution from those who can, Barnier prepares minds before this Tuesday
|Michel Barnier à Matignon ce vendredi 27 septembre. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore
Michel Barnier promises to protect “from any tax increase” those “who work, who produce”, and mentions an “exceptional and temporary” contribution from “those who can contribute” to the effort to restore public finances, Friday, September 27 in an interview with the Journal de Saône-et-Loire. This Tuesday, October 1, he will make his general policy statement to the National Assembly.
“On the issue of taxation, I said that I would protect those who are on the ground, who work, who produce, from any tax increase. We will call upon, in an exceptional and temporary manner, those who can contribute to this effort“, the Prime Minister told JSL, on the eve of a trip to the department.
Mr. Barnier will deliver his general policy statement to the National Assembly on Tuesday and his government will present its 2025 budget project the following week.
“France's situation is very serious in budgetary and financial terms. My responsibility as Prime Minister, and that of the government, is to face up to it and take measures, not against this or that category, but by ensuring that we are fair”, he insists in this interview.
“A fair, balanced, concerted effort”
“I said when I arrived on the steps of Matignon that everyone was going to have to roll up their sleeves, because the situation of this debt of 3,100 billion, a deficit today of more than 6%, is a situation that concerns everyone, every family. “The effort must therefore be fair, balanced and concerted,” added Mr Barnier.
Asked about local authorities and Bruno Le Maire's statements about them, the Prime Minister replied: “I have other things to do than argue with this or that person. I find the situation to be very degraded, much more degraded than has been said, and I am not going to accuse the local authorities who are playing their role on the ground for the social and territorial unity of France".
"What is clear is that there is a need to share the effort to control spending and that we are going to discuss this with the local authorities", adds Mr. Barnier who also mentions "new areas of decentralization to the departments, the regions", "of devolution to the prefects with a lot of simplifications and a lot of capacity to experiment and even to deviate”.