Alexandre Chauveau / Photo credits: ALEXANDRE BRE / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
The Republicans organized economic night on Tuesday evening, the opportunity to detail their counter-budget in the middle of the European election campaign. A single watchword: no tax increase.
The Republicans organized economic night Tuesday evening. The objective: to embody a credible alternative to Emmanuel Macron on the economic level, while France’s record deficit fuels criticism from the right of the head of state. Eric Ciotti’s party called on the government to reduce spending and above all not to increase taxes.
The Republicans are targeting 100 billion euros in savings
Drastic cuts in administration, a dose of capitalization for pensions and the revision of certain public policies in housing or the environment. The Republicans are aiming for 100 billion euros in savings, all without reducing the number of police officers, caregivers and teachers.
The right wants to force the executive to scale back without increasing taxes. A lever that Éric Ciotti suspects the government of wanting to activate after the European elections. “There is a hidden agenda. When the President of the Republic says that the problem is not spending but revenue, that means that he wants to increase revenue and therefore taxes. The French must know that they will pay the bill after the elections, so that ultimately ruin is avoided,” he assured.
Towards a motion of censure?
In the event of an increase in taxes, a hypothesis denied Tuesday by Gabriel Attal, Republican executives still threaten the government with filing a motion of censure. It remains to convince the entire group in the Assembly and to find the right window to avoid losing credibility.