Gérard Bekerman, the president of the French Association for Savings and Retirement (Afer), kept repeating it like a mantra: “I don’t do politics. » He nevertheless wanted to invite the main candidates for the presidential election on the occasion of the 2022 Assizes. Faced with competition from an evening of non-debate on TF1, he had to be content with their representatives who were all questioned – without further debate – on the subject of inheritance.
The theme that particularly interested him was that of life insurance, since Afer, which has more than 750,000 members, is well known for its contract, a real benchmark in the sector.
Operation seduction
Gérard Bekerman says he does not play politics, but “he is committed to representing you and fighting for you”praised Xavier Bertrand who came to bring a “message of deep esteem” to his former colleague, the representative of LR having himself been an insurance agent. The president of the Hauts-de-France region also affirmed that, for his candidate Valérie Pécresse, it was not “no question of touching a hair” of the life insurance system. He also recalled his main promises concerning inheritance: reduce the renewal period of the allowance to 6 years or increase that on inheritance for children to 200,000 euros.
Laurent de Saint-Martin (LREM), for his part who came to defend Emmanuel Macron’s project, said: “We don’t touch anything on life insurance. » And to justify his answer by designating this type of contract as a ” valve “ in the tax world, but also by emphasizing the “need for investment” of French society who can be satisfied through it. On the transmission side, he did not reveal anything in detail and was content to mention “relief on popular or middle class heritage”. He confirmed to us later that the increase in the reduction for indirect lines (track mentioned by Bruno Le Maire) was still under study.
The representative of Marine Le Pen, Philippe Nguyen, also indicated that he wanted to maintain the status quo for life insurance while advocating for “more lenient taxes”. He presented a project for a sovereign fund with a guaranteed, but revisable, rate of 2% to 6% depending on the duration of capital immobilization, which would be invested in infrastructure or new technologies. What compatibility with regulatory constraints? He didn’t broach the subject and no one asked him. For the estate in general, he recalled the flagship proposal of the candidate: a reduction of 300,000 euros on real estate.
Vijay Monany, member of Eric Zemmour’s party (Reconquest), presented a measure for life insurance: “The end of the Sapin II law. » This text, adopted in 2016, provides that withdrawals can be blocked on contracts in the event of a crisis in the financial system. He also defended “a total exemption from transmissions” for French family businesses. Which drew loud applause.
The representative of rebellious France himself provoked mocking laughter when he mentioned a “100% tax on transmissions over 12 million euros”. This did not prevent him from receiving some applause when he indicated that the proceeds thus collected would be used to “fund universities”the “university residences” and support ” the youth “. Hadrien Toucel clarified that Jean-Luc Mélenchon does not intend to modify life insurance, but nevertheless wishes to put an end to the tax advantages of contracts abroad in order to repatriate the funds.
EELV alone to plead an upheaval
Finally, the ambassador of Yannick Jadot (EELV), held a more radical speech. Guillaume Duval defended the idea of an inheritance of 200,000 euros without tax per person received throughout life. Which implies “the end of the life insurance exemption”. He thus takes up an idea of many economists, including those of the Economic Analysis Council (CAE), an independent body attached to the Prime Minister, last December. While his proposals were met with indifference, his criticism of the “society of heirs”which he believes to be engendered by current taxation, has received some boos.
Gérard Bekerman says he does not play politics, but he “will see[t] well Laurent de Saint-Martin as Minister of Finance”, with Philippe Nguyen and Vijay Monany as cabinet directors. He also considers that “Xavier Bertrand is in the same reassuring composition”. He acknowledged that “each candidate has his truth”including that brought by Hadrien Toucel, obviously the youngest of the men on stage, ” baby “ that he doesn’t want ” to throw “. Finally, Gérard Bekerman is seen as a worthy heir to Karl Marx: like him, he is not into ideology.