Guest of the 8 p.m. news on France 2, Gabriel Attal reaffirmed his desire to “convince the French” who will have to make a choice in the Assembly. He also says he is ready to “fight for the Republic and make its values triumph, for what brings us together and not what divides us”.
The Prime Minister unveiled some measures in favor of purchasing power in the event of victory for the presidential camp in the early legislative elections of June 30 and July 7, where the far right is the favorite. The Prime Minister unveiled these measures in the regional daily press before the presentation, at the beginning of the week, of the majority’s entire program.
Lower electricity bills and “group purchases”
He confirms a reduction in electricity bills of 15% “from next winter”, which will represent, for each French person, “200 euros less” on their bill, “thanks to the reform of the European electricity market that we obtained. The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire had already pledged on Tuesday that the French’s electricity bill would drop by 10 to 15% in February 2025 thanks in particular to nuclear production, denouncing the energy strategy of the National Rally.
The head of government is also considering “group purchases” of school supplies to reduce the price by up to 15%. Supermarkets will thus be able to offer “packs” of supplies whose lower prices will be the result of negotiations between the State and suppliers. Gabriel Attal also suggests working on the establishment of “public” complementary health insurance at 1 euro per day for those who are not covered by mutual insurance. Faced with the rise in prices of supplementary health insurance contracts, some mutual insurance managers and experts are raising the idea of less comprehensive and less expensive contracts.
The Prime Minister also promises to exempt first-time middle-class property buyers from notary fees, up to 250,000 euros. “For middle-class French people who wish to own property for the first time, we will exempt notary fees when purchasing housing up to 250,000 euros,” he explains. “Notary fees” include notary fees, but also a tax, transfer duties for valuable consideration (DMTO), which finances communities.
Revaluation of the “Macron” bonus up to 10,000 euros
Gabriel Attal also plans to increase the amount of the so-called “Macron” bonus, paid by companies to their employees up to 10,000 euros, instead of the current 6,000, “without charge or tax”. “To continue to pay for work, we will allow companies to increase up to 10,000 euros per year, without charge or tax, the amount of the purchasing power bonus that they paid last year to 6 million of employees”, affirms the Prime Minister.
Since July 2022, the value sharing bonus (PPV) has replaced the exceptional purchasing power bonus implemented in 2019, called the “Macron bonus”. But this new bonus is no longer popular since the end of its tax exemption. Payments of this PPV by companies fell by more than half in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period last year, after the end of its tax exemption, according to INSEE.
Gabriel Attal wants a tax on share buybacks which will finance an “energy renovation fund” for the “middle and working class” classes. This fund will make it possible to renovate 300,000 additional homes by 2027. Before the announcement of the dissolution of the Assembly, the government was already planning to include in the next finance bill (PLF) a measure to tax companies that buy their own actions. Faced with the public deficit slipping in 2023, the government has warned of a tightening of the budgetary screws, but is also seeking to increase its revenues.