The Minister of Economy and Finance was the guest of LCI this Sunday.
He indicated that the 2024 deficit could slightly exceed the latest forecasts.
In this context, he mentioned several avenues to make the French work more, including the creation of a second day of solidarity.
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Budget 2025: France must find 60 billion euros
France's public deficit will represent “between 6.1 and 6.2%” of GDP in 2024, said Antoine Armand, this Sunday, October 27 on LCI. A slightly more pessimistic announcement than that taken into account in the 2025 finance bill, which expects 6.1% of GDP. In this context, the Minister of the Economy and Finance opened the door to several measures aimed at restoring balance to the accounts, including the creation of a second day of solidarity.
“It’s a very interesting proposal that we are studying,” he declared, emphasizing that she had “the merit of creating wealth” while the “social expenditure” are increasing. “In France, we work less than in other countries “justified Antoine Armand, specifying that this observation was verified “over a lifetime”and not in weekly duration. Asked about a questioning of the 35 hours, he also admitted that it was “a debate that we [pouvait] to have”recalling however that “the French today work more than 35 hours” on average.
“Poor fiscal inventiveness”
“Yes we will have to work more, yes we will have to spend less”, insisted Antoine Armand. As for the possibility of adding waiting days to sick leave, it will leave “the ministers concerned will talk about it”noting all the same: “When we have differences between the public and private sector, when we have massive differences in compensation with other countries, we cannot not ask ourselves the question.”
While the draft budget is under debate in the National Assembly, Antoine Armand was alarmed by the “bad tax inventiveness which is being done in Parliament”. “I will not be the minister of tax bludgeoning”he said, while the left is trying to increase taxes on the richest through amendments. “Let us not enter into a logic that would oppose debt and growth”, he warned, urging instead to “continue the reforms”, particularly those of state expenditure.
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Asked about the French state debt and its interests, Antoine Armand warned: “We are not in danger on our debt, but we could be tomorrow”. Consequently, the budget defended by the government “is not about austerity, it is made to avoid austerity tomorrow”he estimated, saying he wanted “avoid that tomorrow, international actors tell us: now it’s too much.”
