Taxing companies that manufacture foods that are harmful to health, like sugary products for example, is a good idea. In a context of budgetary savings, this is the best way to combine public health policy and providential revenue for the State. Except that the project is far from unanimous within the government. The Minister of the Budget is in favor of it, the Minister of Agriculture not at all. Even the Minister of Health no longer knows what position to adopt, initially supporting this tax, before turning around, targeting only sodas.
No matter, Bercy wants to increase taxation around gambling, via an amendment to the draft social security budget, in order to recover 500 million euros each year. Why not ! Except that the Minister of the Budget does not want the horse racing sector – with strong opposition to this project – to be taxed more.
Two symbolic examples like two impasses which say a lot about the tensions which agitate the Barnier government and the immobility which threatens it in the face of so much dissension. We suspected that reducing state spending would be a perilous exercise for the Prime Minister, but obviously increasing revenue is even more so. However, he will have to find the right mix in a worrying deficit context. But if for each proposal from one of his ministers, another firmly opposes it, it will be complicated to stay the course. Against all odds that the opposition promises him.
