L’inflation, the never-ending Covid, the consequences of climate change… The French have been on edge in recent months and their morale has suffered. According to the monthly survey carried out by INSEE, household morale in France was still down in July, just as it had been for the previous six months. The prevailing pessimism affects all aspects of the personal and financial situation of households. The indicator that summarizes household confidence lost 2 points to fall to 80, well below the long-term average which is 100, said the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.
The government hopes that the second part of measures for purchasing power, intended to support households, businesses in particular, but also communities in the face of galloping inflation, will allow the French people to breathe a little, before a winter period which will promises to be difficult with the risk of gas and electricity shortages.
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The deputies voted on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday the second part of the 2022 amending budget with 293 votes in favor and 146 against (then 17 abstentions). The text must still be examined in the Senate, but the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire was pleased that the debates in the Assembly made it possible to “stay within the budget envelope” initially planned by the government.
“We had a package of 20 billion euros” of support measures in the face of high inflation, recalled on France Inter the number two of the government, which only has a relative majority in the Palais-Bourbon. “We have exceeded the envelope of 350 million euros,” he estimated. An additional cost slightly undervalued by the minister, and which is attributable to the aid granted to households heating with fuel oil (230 million euros) and to communities (150 million euros), detailed Bercy to AFP.
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In total, the envelope granted to communities even reaches 300 million euros between aid to municipalities in difficulty and compensation for the departments of the revaluation of the RSA, but the government assures that it had already planned to integrate half of this increase in the text discussed in the Assembly. Consequently, “we have remained within the budget envelope”, concluded Bruno Le Maire.
Towards a “new revaluation” of retirement pensions in January 2023
“I had indicated that it was necessary to value work, we did it, that we should not increase taxes but lower them, we did it, and that we had to get out of this text without having let go on public spending, ”also listed the boss of Bercy.
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On Wednesday, on France Inter, Bruno Le Maire also assured that there would be a “further revaluation” of retirement pensions in January 2023 “because inflation will increase by then”. Retirement pensions were automatically increased by 1.1% in January, and the Assembly voted last week for an additional 4% increase, retroactive to 1er July.