LIVE – Budget 2025: on LCI, Laurent Saint-Martin says he is “favorable” to the idea of ​​working seven hours more per year

“The departments are asphyxiated (…) because they are financed by transfer taxes for a fee, what we call notary fees,” says Laurent Saint-Martin. “The departments are responsible in particular for social spending, support for the most vulnerable, which has increased significantly in recent years”, among other things because of “the Covid-19 crisis”.

The official indicates that the Prime Minister “is right” to say “that the departments must exempt from this contribution” and to propose an increase in notary fees to replenish the coffers of these communities. “The regions, the municipal bloc, the communities will participate” in this “exceptional effort” to finance the budget.

How to find new ways to finance Social Security? “I am in favor of what the Senate proposed, for example, that is to say working seven hours more per year,” says Laurent Saint-Martin. “It is a debate within the government, because the Prime Minister himself expressed reservations” on the question. Can this involve the elimination of a public holiday? “This can be smoothed over the year or the elimination of a public holiday… I don’t care,” replies the minister.

“The government’s objective is to make at least 40 billion euros in savings,” insists Laurent Saint-Martin on LCI. “I even think that we can go further than these 40 billion”, he adds, while saying that he does not want to “speak in the place of the parliamentarians who deliberate”.

Should the rules governing VAT be changed? The Budget Minister is not in favor of it. “If you increase VAT, who are you hitting? Everyone,” assures Laurent Saint-Martin. “We will not make all French people pay for this increase in the debt burden and this necessary reduction in our public deficit. The few compulsory deductions that we have in this budget must be targeted and temporary.”

“The exceptional compulsory deductions requested in this budget are necessary, otherwise we will not be able to absorb our deficit, continues Laurent Saint-Martin. (…) I am in favor of moving towards a 'reduction of the reduction ' charges.”

The boss of Medef, Patrick Martin, is worried this morning about the consequences on companies and job creation of the government's draft budget. “Patrick Martin himself said a few weeks ago that companies had to participate, with one condition that I share: that it be exceptional, temporary, particularly with regard to corporate taxes,” says Laurent Saint-Martin, Minister of the Budget, live on LCI.

Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to LCI Sunday Event, broadcast from 12 p.m. on channel 26. Today's political guest is Laurent-Saint-Martin. The Budget Minister will return to the difficult adoption of a finance bill for 2025, at a time when senators are preparing to consider budgetary guidelines.