With a view to completing the 2025 budget, the government has requested a very substantial effort of five billion euros in savings from local authorities, including 2.2 from the departments alone. Faced with the anger of representatives of this territorial level, the Prime Minister promised to review his copy in a speech given in Angers.
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This is one of the big points of tension in the budget envisaged by the government. After asking the departments for an effort of 2.2 billion euros in the 2025 budget, Michel Barnier changed his mind in the face of anger. During a speech in Angers, where the Assises of the departments of France this Friday, the Prime Minister did not give a figure, but made a firm commitment: “ By taking into account your very specific situation, which may not have been well received by the budgetary scenarios, we will very significantly reduce the effort required of you. »
To justify himself, Michel Barnier repeated once again that his draft budget was put together in barely three weeks. A time frame that is visibly insufficient to take into account the difficulties that the departments are facing. The latter are facing an explosion in their social spending on child protection and assistance for dependent elderly people or people with disabilities, but at the same time are seeing their revenue from real estate transactions decline and recording less VAT. than expected.
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The 5% mark retained, the five billion savings too
The head of government mentioned avenues arising from meetings with representatives of the departments, such as the increase in notary fees or the reduction in compulsory contributions to certain funds managed by the State. He thus passed the ball back to the Senate, which now has control over the budget after its rejection in the National Assembly.
However, Michel Barnier maintains his initial objectives. “ I am not closed to any evolution of this budget, from the moment this objective of 5% [de déficit du PIB en 2025, NDLR] is preserved », declared the Prime Minister, who also did not return to the overall effort requested from local authorities, i.e. five billion savings out of a total of 60 billion.