“Ecological debt cannot be negotiated,” warns Éric Coquerel

Michel Barnier recently declared that the financial crisis is “in front of us”. An observation that Éric Coquerel, guest of “La matinale weekend” on franceinfo, Saturday October 5, does not share. For the deputy of La France insoumise, the crisis is taking place “NOW”. “The responsibilities belong to those who, recklessly, reduced state revenues by 62 billion. Without that, we would not be above 3% deficit”estimates the president of the finance committee of the National Assembly.

Éric Coquerel also contests the tax cuts that took place under Emmanuel Macron: “These tax cuts mainly benefited the 10% of the richest French people, and the 1% of the ultra-rich and very large companies”. The MP also contradicts the employment growth rate, pointing the finger at the policy of “all learning”as well as “the historical increasethan Uberized workers”, which he resembles more to a “development of poor employment”.

Éric Coquerel emphasizes that “everyone” considered the previous forecasts which wanted the budget deficit to be around 5.1% for the end of the year to be unreliable, when it was already at 6.1%. “They are scratching their heads wondering where it comes from. But it’s simple, revenues this year, like corporate and income taxes, have continued to fall”he emphasizes.

For Michel Barnier and the Court of Auditors, the fault lies partly with local authorities, to the tune of 16 billion euros. An assertion once again contested by Éric Coquerel: “They have good backs from local authorities. No, that’s not true. (…) Communities, in essence, cannot run a deficit, they draw on their savings, so it’s not the State that pays for them”.

Éric Coquerel argues that the “main effort” must correspond to the investment allocated to ecological bifurcation. “Ecological debt, we cannot negotiate it, nor postpone it, it can kill us”he warns, insisting that investment from an ecological point of view remains his priority.

Watch the full interview in the video above.