For ten days since the budget discussion began, the scenario has been unchanged. With each amendment adopted, its signatories triumph: finally, this time, the draft budget becomes fairer. The New Popular Front (NFP), in particular, is delighted to transform, touch by touch, the text of the Barnier government into an “NFP-compatible” budget, which taxes the richest, the large groups, more and cuts less in the expenses.
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This is again what happened on Thursday, October 31: the finance committee of the National Assembly adopted a budget for justice providing for the recruitment of nearly 5,000 more civil servants than planned. “We saved Minister Didier Migaud, since he finally has an acceptable budget in terms of what professionals are asking for”welcomed MP (La France insoumise, LFI) Gabrielle Cathala to Agence France-Presse.
These symbolic victories of the left deserve to be put into perspective. Not only will a large part of these amendments probably be abandoned during the parliamentary process. But many of them may not comply with the law. This is at least the convergent analysis of the general rapporteur of the budget to the National Assembly, Charles de Courson (Les Centristes), and of the government. However, it is contested by Eric Coquerel, the president (LFI) of the finance committee, for whom the difficulties raised are either questionable or correctable in the coming weeks.
“Legal difficulties”
Following the examination in session of the first part of the draft budget for 2025 – devoted to revenue – Charles de Courson wanted to see clearly the sometimes spectacular tax increases adopted piecemeal. The result is contained in a note, produced by the centrist deputy with the support of the administrators of the finance committee as well as Bercy services, and released Thursday October 31.
His conclusion? During the session, according to him, the deputies modified the draft budget by 50 billion euros, increasing certain taxes by 30 billion euros and reducing others by 20 billion. Of this total, around half (26 billion euros) corresponds to amendments “likely to be contrary to European law, to the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Council or posing legal difficulties due to their wording”.
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