“It is consistent with the abolition of the housing tax”, justified the head of state during his first campaign trip to Poissy in the Yvelines.
Emmanuel Macron pledged on Monday, if he is re-elected, to abolish the TV license fee and to triple the ceiling of the “Macron bonus” which so far allows companies to pay up to 1000 euros without charge or tax. “We will remove the taxes that remain, the royalty is part of it”he said during an exchange with 200 inhabitants of Poissy (Yvelines), for his first public outing as a presidential candidate.
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According to the Head of State, this deletion is “consistent with the abolition of the housing tax”, one of the flagship measures of his campaign in 2017. Since 2009, the contribution to public broadcasting has been payable by anyone who is subject to housing tax and who owns a television. Its amount is determined by Parliament and currently stands at 138 euros in mainland France.
Tripling of the “Macron bonus”
This fee is used to finance public sector TV and radio channels, such as France Télévisions, Radio France, Arte or France Médias Monde (France 24, RFI, etc.). Before Emmanuel Macron, candidates Valérie Pécresse (LR), Marine Le Pen (RN) and Éric Zemmour (Reconquests) announced their intention to abolish the license fee, some of them proposing to privatize part or all of the public media.
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Emmanuel Macron presented this measure in the middle of a series of proposals to support purchasing power, such as the tripling of the “Macron bonus”, without charges or taxes. This tax-free premium that he has introduced since 2020, “we will triple it”because “That’s purchasing power”he said. “Work must pay more”he hammered during this exchange during which he was also questioned several times about the war in Ukraine.