The government has not yet revealed all its budgetary cards. The finance bill (PLF) for 2025, one of the most severe of the Fifth Republic with 60 billion in savings to be found to deal with the sharp deterioration in public accounts over the last two years, will continue to be enriched by the executive during the parliamentary debate. Indeed, certain last-minute arbitrations do not appear in the copy presented Thursday to the Council of Ministers, despite a delay of nine days on the constitutional calendar, due to the political delays which followed the anticipated legislative elections.
“Changes will take place at the initiative of the Government during the parliamentary debates, to reflect adjustments desired by the Prime Minister, in line with the general policy discourse,” Bercy had already warned. Heard this Friday morning by the finance committees of the National Assembly and the Senate, Ministers Antoine Armand, for Economy, and Laurent Saint-Martin, for Public Accounts, listed the measures that would be defended by the government during the legislative journey.
An increase in the budget allocated to the Minister of Justice
Starting with the justice budget, with a realignment with the objective provided for in the programming law of the Ministry of Justice for the period 2023-2027.
“The Minister of Justice was clear about moving closer to the programming law. I agree with him, there is consistency to be had in the emphasis placed on the strengthening of the sovereign,” justified Laurent Saint-Martin. The PLF provides for a budget of 10.2 billion for justice in 2025 compared to 10.1 billion this year. In the programming law, it is a question of increasing the ministry’s credits to 10.8 billion by 2027. This involves in particular allowing the recruitment of 10,000 civil servants, including 1,500 in the judiciary and 1,800 for the grafts.
Preservation of the La Poste budget, increase in Heritage credits
“The grants paid to La Poste and the ANRU (National Agency for Urban Renewal, editor’s note) will be reviewed by way of amendment,” also specified Laurent Saint Martin. A first version of the budget planned to cut 50 million euros from the appropriations devoted to the territorial postal presence contract, which had aroused the anger of associations of elected officials, faced with the disappearance of local services, particularly in the rural territories.
There is also talk of increasing the credits allocated to heritage. Program 175 “Heritage”, dedicated to the financing of historical monuments, museums of France, National Archives and archaeological excavations, benefited from 1.19 billion euros in payment credits for the year 2024.
5 billion savings through amendments
Furthermore, of the 60 billion in savings announced by the executive, 5 billion will be proposed by way of amendments, distributed across all ministries, apart from administrations whose revaluation has already been recorded by programming laws in recent years. The reductions will be based “on efforts to reorganize and modernize administrations, in particular the grouping of structures with similar activities, a simplification of the functioning of the State and standards. State operators will also be involved in savings of nearly 1.5 billion euros,” indicates Bercy.
Extension of the zero-rate loan
At least two tax measures will also be introduced in this budget by government amendments. “This was announced by the Prime Minister, we will offer a zero-interest loan extension across the entire territory, for all first-time buyers whose conditions will have to be specified and debated,” explained the Minister of Public Accounts. This system, created in 1995, allows future owners, subject to income conditions, to finance up to 50% of the amount of a property purchase with a free loan. But since 1is April 2024, its deployment has been limited to urban areas only.
Increase in the cost of gas
Finally, the government will propose by amendment “an increase in taxes on gas”, said Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Minister of Ecological Transition, during a press briefing on Friday. “It is especially important to prevent public policies and public money from making carbon solutions less expensive than carbon-free solutions,” she argued.
Thanks to the deflationary context, the finance bill for 2025 already contains an increase in the excise on electricity, which had been largely revised downwards during the energy crisis. But the increase planned for 2025 will be beyond pre-crisis levels: 50 euros per megawatt hour, compared to 22 currently, and 32 euros before 2022. It should, however, make it possible to maintain a 9% reduction in the regulated tariff. On the other hand, the measure leaves something unknown about the electricity bill of the 40% of French people who have subscribed to a market offer.
