MEPs remove the increase in the electricity tax, in the finance committee

The deputies of the finance committee adopted by a single vote two amendments to delete article 7 of the finance bill for 2025, Thursday October 17, which provided for giving the government the possibility of taxing electricity at a level higher than the period before the energy crisis. The tax project, for which the government hopes to raise 3 billion euros, will however be carefully examined in the hemicycle, where the deputies will start from the government’s copy.

Bercy, which plans to put an end to the price shield put in place during the inflationary crisis, ultimately promises a 9% reduction in the price “for households at the regulated sales rate (TRV) or contracts indexed to this rate”according to a source at the ministry joined by Agence France-Presse, due to the reduction in the cost of energy.

An amendment was presented by the National Rally (RN), the deputy of the far-right party Jean-Philippe Tanguy denouncing a tax among the most “unfair”who strike “harder on the working classes and the middle classes” than the most advantaged people.

An “unbearable” and “unsustainable” increase for LFI

A second amendment aimed at deleting article 7 was presented by the Republican Right. Right-wing elected officials invited the government to ” give up “ its plan to increase taxation and “work on a greater effort to reduce public spending”recalling his support for Prime Minister Michel Barnier, from his ranks, “in its effort to restore public finances”.

But during the debates in committee, MP Véronique Louwagie considered that it was necessary to wait “more details before the session”and considered referring to other amendments amounting to capping the increase in the tax. The amendment was finally withdrawn by the right before being taken up by the president of the finance committee, Eric Coquerel (La France insoumise). The “rebellious” deputy Aurélien Le Coq denounced an increase ” intolerable “ et “unsustainable”while “twelve million” of French people live in the “energy poverty”.

A little earlier in the afternoon, the deputies had approved the deletion of an article which provides for a reform of the preferential tariff for access to nuclear electricity, known as Arenh, which will disappear at the end of 2025.