Gérald Darmanin considers the draft budget outlined by Michel Barnier “unacceptable”

The outgoing Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, judged on Thursday October 3 “unacceptable” the draft budget outlined by the new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, criticizing tax increases which, according to him, are not accompanied by proposals for structural reforms.

“For the moment, the budget as announced seems unacceptable to me”declared on Franceinfo the man who was also minister of public accounts between 2017 and 2020. “I will not vote for a tax increase”he added, even if it only concerns the very rich and large companies.

The deputy (Rennaissance) from the North criticized “load reductions” for businesses which would be reviewed by the Barnier government. “It’s very important for us because it becomes contrary to what we have done for a very long time”he developed, judging that this amounted to “an increase in labor costs”. “That means that unemployment will increase again, I am against that”he decided.

“The money of the richest is in the economy”

The announced increase in corporate tax, which had been reduced from 33% to 25% under Emmanuel Macron, seems to him to be a return to “the socialist era of François Hollande” and, he added, “it can’t be temporary” in the “budgetary trajectory mentioned by the Prime Minister” to reduce the public deficit to 5% of GDP in 2027, then 3% in 2029.

As for the contribution “exceptional” for the wealthiest households, Gérald Darmanin saw it as a way to “to give back a form of[impôt sur la fortune] ». “We can always discuss it, but even there I don’t really agree since the money of the richest is in the economy, it should not go into public coffers”he argued.

“We don’t just need revenue and expenditure, we also need to explain what we are going to do with the country”he judged, continuing: “What was missing in the Prime Minister’s general policy speech was the reforms he was going to make. » He particularly criticized the abandonment of the unemployment insurance reform initiated under the previous government of Gabriel Attal.

“I will most likely vote against a corporate tax increase”added the former minister of industry, Roland Lescure, at the microphone of Sud Radio. “We need competitiveness, behind it are millions of jobs”he argued. The deputy (Renaissance) for the first constituency of French people established outside France, however, said that he was not hostile to increasing taxes on the richest. ” Today (…) a certain number of taxpayers pay very little tax, he admitted, referring to those which are taken up to “2%, 3% of their income, which is also very high”. “That we can increase taxes so that everyone pays a minimum tax, that does not shock me and I am ready to vote for it”he added.