Marine Le Pen defends a “credible” and financially “balanced” project

Marine Le Pen came to talk numbers. The candidate of the National Rally defended a presidential program on Wednesday March 23 “credible” and financially “balance”. She presented at a press conference a “fiscal trajectory” without growth assumption, but based on a sovereign wealth fund which will have “the characteristic of being financed by private funds and not by public finances”. The French “who wish to become shareholders of the France house” and will subscribe to this fund, will benefit from an interest rate of 2%.

Marine Le Pen notably intends to save 16 billion euros with its measures on immigration, 15 on fraud, 8 on the operation of state agencies, asked to make 10% savings, 6 billion generated by its measures purchasing power, or 5 from France’s contribution to the European Union. Total revenue would reach 68.3 billion euros, like total expenditure. “The budget is therefore, as I promised, in balance”argued the candidate.

In terms of expenditure, it intends in particular to lower the VAT on fuel, electricity and gas (12 billion) from 20% to 5.5%, abolish the CFE and the C3S (in the relocation areas) for VSEs – SMEs (10 billion), reindexing pensions on inflation (7) or even financing a progressive retirement system (6 billion the first year, up to 9 in a full year).

Its emergency measures for purchasing power linked to the war in Ukraine (cancellation of increases in TICPE, abolition of VAT on a basket of 10 products, etc.) will cost 12 billion euros, which will be offset by penalties on share buybacks (8 billion) and a tax on the profits of energy companies (3.5). On immigration, the National Family Allowance Fund had already specified that all allowances paid to foreigners corresponded to “9 billion euros” per year (2019 figure), and not 16 billion as put forward by the candidate. The RN said it had not found an independent audit firm to validate these figures.