Before the start of the examination of the purchasing power bill in the National Assembly, the Republicans had strongly criticized the ambitions of the government, in particular the fuel allowance which had to go through a platform.
>> After five days of heated debate, the National Assembly adopts the bill on purchasing power
A “gas plant”, according to the leaders of the right-wing party. So, for ten days, the government, in search of a majority, has been discussing with the LR deputies. And here is one of their ideas validated by the Prime Minister, Thursday, July 21: the doubling of the transport premium paid by companies to their employees. “The philosophy is to protect the purchasing power of all French people on fuel at the start of the school year, and that companies then take over“, thus declared Elisabeth Borne, in an interview given to the newspapers of the EBRA group [article payant]. The government therefore proposes to raise the ceiling of this tax-free payment from 200 to 400 euros, “i.e. the equivalent of a discount of nearly 50 cents at the pump for an employee who travels 12,000 kilometers per year“.
This measure had been defended on franceinfo, Wednesday July 20, by the deputy LR Olivier Marleix. Seeing it taken over by the executive is a small victory for Fabien Di Filippo, LR deputy for Moselle: “We said it, we will not give up this week in the fight at the level of the Republicans. So, the fact that, for people, going to work, to travel in the professional context, it costs less, c is good news for work.” But do not tell him that this advance would be the result of secret negotiations with the government: “Everyone knows our red lines, they are completely transparent. The government understands that to pass its text, it needs to follow up on it.”
“This compromise only exists towards LR”
But these convergences negotiated outside the hemicycle annoy the other oppositions, like Arthur Delaporte, PS deputy from Calvados: “There, we are still moving non-negligible elements, supposedly to compromise with the opposition. But this compromise only exists towards LR and always in the same philosophy. It does not guarantee that all employees will receive this bonus”he believes.
Rather than a transport premium, the left would prefer a sharp drop in the price at the pump. And that may be what will happen because the 18-cent rebate put in place by the government will no doubt be extended and increased. A device which again is the subject of discussions with Les Républicains.