The National Assembly approved on Monday, November 4, with the votes of the left, a profoundly revised version of the “revenue” part of the 2025 Social Security budget, against the opposition of Macronist and right-wing deputies who voted against. The amended text, which notably provides for 17 to 20 billion additional contributions according to the deputies, was approved by 126 votes « pour » et 98 ” against “. The Assembly will thus be able to begin examining the “expenses” part of the text in the evening.
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By notably increasing contributions on capital income or dividends, the left has “reasonably released (…) a level of financing for social protection and social security commensurate with needs”welcomed the socialist Jérôme Guedj.
The elected officials of “base” government have castigated a text “emptied of its meaning and of all seriousness, political and budgetary”as summarized by François Gernigon (Horizons). “You have created taxes and charges for nearly 17 billion”lamented Thibault Bazin (LR) while addressing the elected officials of the New Popular Front (NFP). “And there, the victims are not the wealthy, it is the working middle classes”he said, castigating a text which “no longer looks like anything”.
Tacit support of the RN
“The debacle is complete for the government! We have transformed the revenue part of the Social Security budget in the service of redistribution and sharing of wealth”greeted on X the LFI deputy Clémence Guetté, who chaired the session. “There is a majority to govern on the basis of the program of the New Popular Front”rejoiced his colleague from the North, Aurélien Le Coq.
To obtain this favorable vote, the New Popular Front had to count on the abstention of the National Rally. The RN, which had criticized the government's initial text, also denounced “the tax madness that the left has imposed”. But he chose to abstain so as not to prematurely end the debates – the rejection of the party ” recipes “ would in fact have led to that of the entire text.
This tacit support of the RN notably allowed the left to win, a little earlier, a symbolic victory on the pension reform, with the adoption of amendments opposing the reform.
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These socialist, rebellious and communist amendments, adopted by 178 votes to 76, modify an annex to the text, by repealing the increase in the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years. “Let’s go for the symbol, we are going to vote on this amendment”announced the RN deputy Matthias Renault. Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin invited the PS not to sink “in demagoguery through this amendment”. “Instead, support those who are responsible in this matter by reducing our public deficits”he said.
“Today is a first symbolic step”underlined LFI deputy Manuel Bompard, by meeting with deputies on November 28, for the examination of a proposed LFI law also proposing to repeal the reform, which will have a chance of passing.
