With the approach of the legislative elections, Emmanuel Macron tackles his opponents. In an interview with the regional press, published Thursday, June 2, the President of the Republic castigated the proposals of the New Popular Ecological and Social Union. “I read the Nupes program. They quote the word ‘taxation’ 20 times and the word ‘ban’ 30 times, which gives a fairly clear idea of the spirit of the program”attacked the head of state.
In the process, the argument was taken up by members of the presidential majority. Sometimes with somewhat different numbers. The new Minister for the Ecological Transition, Amélie de Montchalin, has for example identified “35 times the word ban”. Olivier Véran, now Minister in charge of Relations with Parliament, for his part counted “41 Times” terms “forbidden or prohibit or prohibition”.
The leader of La France insoumise “proposes a society where either everything is forbidden, or everything is organized”, for his part, Christophe Castaner, leader of the LREM deputies, won. Behind these figures, what does the program of the left alliance really foresee?
A keyword search in the Nupes program makes it possible to verify that it actually contains the words “ban” or “prohibit” 41 times, as Olivier Véran declared. However, not all of these occurrences refer to Left Alliance proposals. The word “prohibition” appears for example in the reference to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons of the United Nations, which entered into force in 2021. In addition, certain Nupes proposals are mentioned several times in the program, hence certain repetitions.
In total, according to the calculations of franceinfo, the Nupes program includes 36 different proposals mentioning “prohibitions”. A figure rather close to that put forward by Amélie de Montchalin. But the Nupes sometimes wishes to reinforce certain already existing prohibitions, to apply them “Actually” Where “immediately”. Thus, the left-wing coalition wants “immediately ban single-use plastics”. It is actually a question of accelerating the timetable, since France has already set itself the objective of prohibiting them “by 2040”. A “ban” voted… during Emmanuel Macron’s first five-year term.
Similarly, Nupes undertakes to “really prohibit the rental of thermal colanders”. A law in this spirit was also adopted during the mandate of Emmanuel Macron, but it does not concern all energy-intensive housing. On animal abuse, the program also mentions the prohibition of certain practices, such as the rearing of hens and rabbits in batteries, or the grinding of chicks. However, a decree, taken by the previous government and published in February, already plans to prohibit the elimination of male chicks in egg production chains by the end of the year.
Moreover, these various figures hammered out by the president and his supporters do not provide any information on the scope of the “prohibitions” defended by Nupes. In detail, sixteen of them are listed in the chapter entitled “Ecology, biodiversity, climate, common goods and energy”. It includes the end of advertising for products and services that emit the most greenhouse gases, the ban “immediate” glyphosate, prohibition “emergency” food additives “most controversial”the end of factory farms or the prohibition of certain hunting practices, such as hunting with hounds.
Other proposals target companies and economic actors, by prohibiting “stock market layoffs” Where “economic redundancies by companies that pay dividends or receive public aid”. La Nupes also defends the prohibition of “golden parachutes”, these departure bonuses paid to company directors. Elected officials and senior state officials are also targeted through the ban “gifts to parliamentarians, members of the government and their cabinets” and the end revolving door, which allows administrative elites to pursue a career in the private sector.
As for the terms “to tax”, “taxation” or “tax”, they are mentioned 18 times in the Nupes program. A number close to the 20 occurrences mentioned by Emmanuel Macron. Here again, however, some measures appear several times. Not all of them constitute tax creations either. It is sometimes a question of modifying the arrowing of an already existing tax, like “reserving the apprenticeship tax for public establishments”.
And as for the prohibitions, the quantitative argument does not make it possible to appreciate the real content of the program of the left alliance in fiscal matters. If we observe the program more closely, the majority of the proposals are part of the chapter “Wealth Sharing and Tax Justice”and more specifically of the pane “make a tax revolution”. The Nupes is considering in particular of “refound the property tax to make it progressive” or of “tax companies that have taken advantage of the health crisis and the consequences of the Ukrainian crisis”.
The program also mentions the abolition of the “flat tax” introduced under Emmanuel Macron, as well as the restoration of the wealth tax (ISF), abolished under the first term of the Head of State. The text also mentions the “exit tax” on the capital gains of taxpayers who leave France, the abolition of which had for a time been considered by Emmanuel Macron, before finally being reduced.
Finally, the Nupes hears “rlaunch the taxation project” digital giants. A project started under the previous five-year term. She also wants “introduce a significant tax on financial transactions”. A subject that has divided the Member States of the European Union for ten years. During the previous five-year term, the French executive had shown itself in favor of the establishment of this tax, but in a minimal version.