PURCHASING POWER LAW. The party of the presidential majority lost its absolute majority this Sunday, June 19 during the 2nd round of the legislative elections. The Nupes should have 142 seats, the RN 89. How to pass the purchasing power law? What alliances? We tell you everything.
[Mis à jour le 20 juin 2022 à 08h09] The verdict is in, Emmanuel Macron and Together! won these legislative elections, but lost their absolute majority in favor of a relative majority. The Nupes came second, ahead of the National Rally and the Republicans. The disappointment is great in the camp of the majority, and the consequences could be heavy, especially when bringing the purchasing power bill into force. The Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire spoke of “a lot of imagination to act” this Sunday, June 19, the evening of the results of the legislative election. What is certain is that you will automatically need allies for Together!
The Head of State had to deal with these new imposed allies (François Bayrou and Edouard Philippe) to avoid having too many opponents of the same current (or almost) in the constituencies. Consequently, if 400 constituencies were granted to LREM candidates, 110 were granted to representatives of the MoDem and 58 for Horizons. The coalition is not without risk, however, especially in relation to Edouard Philippe. If the former Prime Minister is always shown to be loyal to the Head of State, his political weight, but also his sympathetic rating (favorite political personality of the French), grant him both the status of ally and dissident of weight in the event of disagreement. Emmanuel Macron could therefore, in an attempt to pass certain laws, turn to the Republicans to forge a new alliance in order to put in place the flagship measures of the project such as the extension of the tariff shield, the tripling of the Macron bonus or the thawing of the point of index of civil servants.
The rise in consumer prices is expected to continue in the coming months. INSEE predicts an increase between 5% and 5.4% next May, enough to push the government to act, by proposing a salvo of measures to try to support modest households and low wages. In this sense, several proposals already mentioned by the executive for many weeks should indeed come into force. Here they are :
- Food voucher: its amount could reach 60 euros and should benefit young people aged 18 to 25, as well as low-income families with children. The measure could concern 8 million people in France with the aim of allowing low wages to consume French, organic, and preferably in short circuits. The food check should not come into force this year, replaced by inflation aid of 150 euros.
- Macron bonus: the Head of State intends to triple the amount of the exceptional purchasing power bonus to reach up to 6,000 euros in certain cases. It concerns employees whose salary does not exceed 3x the minimum wage.
- RSA: the active solidarity income should be conditional on a minimum of activity on the part of the beneficiaries. The most likely track remains 20 hours of training per month. A way for the executive to promote the return to employment.
- TV fee: it was a campaign promise the audiovisual fee will be abolished in 2022. Its amount was 138 euros in mainland France and 88 euros in Overseas for each household with a television.
- Indexation of pensions to inflation: In addition to the introduction of a minimum pension of 1,100 euros, Emmanuel Macron wishes to index retirement pensions to the level of inflation to take into account the sharp rise in prices which should be durable.
- Fuel bonus: the government could extend the discount of 18 cents on a liter of fuel, and even set up new, more targeted aid for those who have no choice but to use their vehicle to get to their workplace.
As announced by the spokesperson for the current government Gabriel Attalthe various measures forming part of the purchasing power law should be announced “after the legislative elections“. A way of respecting the timetable set by Emmanuel Macron and his various media outlets, regularly announcing the implementation of these measures by the summer. The legislative elections will be held on June 12 and 19. An announcement of the purchasing power bill is therefore not to be expected before, at least, the July 6, 2022.
Invited to the microphone of France Info Friday June 10, the Minister of the Budget Gabriel Attal took the opportunity to recall its complexity of implementation before being a little more optimistic about a possible start-up in the months to come: “It’s quite complicated technically to be able to have aid that targets certain products in certain places. We hope to be able to present this measure in 2023″. Preceded by the introduction of inflation aid, the energy check could therefore simply be postponed for a few months. Why not make it official in the first quarter of 2023? For the time being, the project is on hold.
To fight against the general increase in consumer prices, and in particular food prices, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced the creation of aid paid directly into the bank account of beneficiaries, from the start of the 2022 school year. information is not yet known, but the scheme could well resemble the old inflation bonus of 100 euros introduced by Emmanuel Macron.