Paris town hall is against the government's finance bill for 2025. The city denounces a “hold up” and estimates that this budget would cost 320 euros per Parisian family.
The government's finance bill for 2025, which requests five billion euros in savings from communities, risks burdening the next budget of the city of Paris by more than 300 million euros, or 320 euros per family, alerted the socialist municipality on Tuesday.
The 2025 Paris budget provides for 11.3 billion euros in spending, including 1.7 billion in investments, down slightly compared to 2024, according to the budgetary orientation report which will be submitted to the Paris Council in December. With a debt of 9.3 billion euros at the end of 2025, slightly less than in 2024.
Five billion euros in savings
These forecasts do not currently take into account the impact of “unprecedented magnitude” that the government's draft budget would have if it were applied in its initial version – before its discussion in the National Assembly – , declared Paul Simondon, deputy to the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo in charge of finances, Tuesday during a press point.
The five billion euros in savings requested from local authorities would represent a cost for the capital estimated between 300 and 350 million euros, the socialist municipality anticipates.
“This amounts to around 320 euros per Parisian family, taken directly from the city's coffers,” said the elected official, denouncing a “hold up” by the State which consists of directly taking the revenues of large communities.”
“Sacrificing public policies”
“It would force us to sacrifice public policies” and would put in difficulty nurseries, after-school activities, canteens, nursing homes, care for the elderly, etc., fears Rémi Féraud, senator (PS) from Paris who hopes rectify in the Senate the community component of the finance project (PLF).
Otherwise the town hall could demand accountability from the State “when it occupies city land”, warned Paul Simondon, citing the project mentioned by Haute-Marne to put departmental buildings up for sale, such as its palace of justice, on the Good corner.
Discussions are notably underway with the Paris Zoological Park so that the State pays rent, while today the municipality “does not touch a euro on it”, according to the elected official.
He also proposes to the State to “take back the Sorbonne for a symbolic euro”. The famous building in the Latin Quarter is property of the municipality and “there is no reason for Parisians to pay several million euros of work per year to maintain it without any return”, he commented. .
