It took less than 24 hours for the executive to extend the exemption for the use of meal vouchers in supermarkets, as the controversy began to gain momentum.
The possibility of paying for all food shopping with restaurant vouchers was to end on December 31. But the outcry was such that the government very quickly changed its position. Olivia Gregoire, the Minister for SMEs and Trade, announced on Tuesday November 14 that, finally, the rules in force since October 2022 to deal with inflation will ultimately remain in force throughout next year, less than 24 hours later. that his ministry confirmed the opposite to Le Parisien.
Since August 2022, the use of meal vouchers has been extended to all food products, even if they are not directly consumable without cooking or preparation (flour, pasta, rice, eggs, fish, meat, etc.). But this exemption was to end on January 1, 2024. Several parliamentarians and a number of users have expressed concern in recent days about the restrictions on the use of these titles which were to come into effect from January 1, 2024.
Even Modem, although the majority party, denounced the lack of anticipation: the end of the measure on December 31 was written in black and white in the purchasing power law passed in the summer of 2022. The allied party was even preparing to submit a text to remedy this.
No change of heart, assures the executive
The government denies “any turnaround“. Bercy was on the ball, we promise at the top of the executive. “No backpedaling“, assures the minister in charge. Olivia Grégoire argues that the exemption ended mechanically, and not following a government decision. Impossible to intervene, adds an advisor, without reviewing the stakeholders, employers, unions, and restaurateurs, “frankly not excited because of the shortfall”.
Technically, extending the measurement is not simple. We need to legislate again, says the Minister of the Economy himself. But Matignon validates, let Elisabeth Borne’s entourage know. The Prime Minister is in direct confrontation with the National Rally, when she insists that all her action is oriented towards the daily concerns of the French. The RN announced that it was ready to table its own bill; he won’t have had time.
Meal vouchers are used today by more than 5 million employees to pay for meals or food services with some 234,000 approved merchants.