Yanis Darras
modified to
9:14 a.m., July 25, 2023
The Minister Delegate for Transport Clément Beaune was the guest of Europe 1 on Tuesday. At the microphone of Alexandre Le Mer, the elected Parisian returned to the importance of putting the competitiveness of the train against the plane back on track. “We have to charge a little more the fair environmental price to the plane”, he assures.
Fast, low-polluting… The train seduces the French. But it has a major flaw: its price. Taking the rails can be much more expensive than going on a trip by air. A problem regularly highlighted by environmental associations.
“Unfortunately, the plane costs quite a bit of money”, regrets Clément Beaune at the microphone of Europe 1. “Essentially because it needs little infrastructure” compared to the train, justifies the Minister Delegate for Transport. “A high-speed line costs 10 to 20 million euros per kilometer to build, so it’s extremely expensive. And that’s why we subsidize the train,” explains the minister. $
Do not complicate taxes
“We must probably charge a little more, the fair environmental price for the plane” continues Clément Beaune. To achieve this, a tax on aircraft fuel, kerosene, could soon see the light of day. “It is a discussion that we have launched, we France, at European level. And I hope that in the coming months, there could indeed be a kind of fair environmental tax which makes the plane pay for kerosene. And then it is not a question of opposing each other, it is above all a question of ensuring that the train is cheaper, “he insists.
But would a progressive tax applied to users also be relevant? “We must not do very complicated things because it does not work. But on the other hand, as I said, it is necessary for example that the plane tickets are more taxed. Not for the pleasure of the tax, but precisely to finance the investment in our rail system. subject.