On the eve of the Prime Minister’s general policy speech, the MP and former Minister of the Budget does not think that new temporary contributions could improve state finances. He calls for structural measures.
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“A solution that involves taxes is a solution that goes nowhere”estimates EPR (Together for the Republic) MP Eric Woerth, on franceinfo, Monday September 30, on the eve of Michel Barnier’s general policy speech. The new Prime Minister had mentioned, after his appointment, the idea of a contribution “exceptional and temporary” of “those who can contribute” to the effort to restore public finances. For Eric Woerth, also a member of the Committee on Finance, General Economy and Budgetary Control of the National Assembly, these measures “cannot be temporary since the question is about the structural deficit of French public finances”.
“France is the country with the highest taxes”SO “this can’t work”says Eric Woerth. “When we look at the last 30 years, every ten years, France increases its level of borrowing by 1,000 billion”continues the man who was Minister of the Budget, then of Labor, under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. For him, “this is due in particular to the drop in a certain number of tax revenues, such as VAT, which was quite difficult to predict, or to some increases in expenditure”.
The EPR deputy for Oise therefore calls for “review this French public spending system” in several areas, such as Social Security, the State, but also, “to a lesser extent”local authorities. He pleads to invent “a new history of French public finances” to hold “for a long time”. “If it is to finance operations, we must only use the reduction in expenditure”he assures.