The Assembly votes to abolish the fee

The National Assembly voted on Saturday morning to abolish the audiovisual license fee as part of support for purchasing power, but must still clear up hotly debated points such as the fuel discount, the renationalisation of EDF or the “superprofits” of large groups. The abolition of the fee which finances public broadcasting, a promise by President Macron, raises many concerns about the independence and future funding of the media concerned.

It was passed by 170 votes to 57, during the first reading of the amending finance bill for 2022 (PLFR). LR and RN voted for, and the left alliance Nupes unanimously against. Majority and LR amendments were adopted to affect “a fraction” of VAT, for an amount of around 3.7 billion euros, in order to address concerns about the financing of this sector.

During this often turbulent session, the Minister of Public Accounts Gabriel Attal expressed his attachment to “strong public broadcasting”, while describing as “obsolete” this fee based on the possession of a television set at the time of tablets. and other smartphones. The fee is currently set at 138 euros per year in mainland France. The main objections came from the ranks of the Nupes. For Inaki Echaniz (PS), this deletion is a “bad idea” which will harm stable funding. Alexis Corbière (LFI) stressed that guaranteeing “the independence of public broadcasting is a condition of democracy”.

The Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak, on the other hand, argued that “it is not the license fee that guarantees independence” but Arcom (ex-CSA), the body which appoints the leaders of the public audiovisual sector. . The left has also accused the government of taking inspiration from the extreme right to ultimately dismantle public broadcasting. “Zemmour and Mrs. Le Pen had asked for it, Mr. Macron will have done it”, launched the communist Stéphane Peu. Ms. Le Pen, however, felt that “the government’s plan has nothing to do with what we want to do”, namely a “privatization” in good and due form. After four days of heated debate on the bill in favor of purchasing power, the deputies have been grappling since Friday, via the PLFR, with the second part of the measures intended to counter the effects of inflation. The discussion must continue until Saturday evening, or even Sunday or Monday. The presidential camp, deprived of an absolute majority, must frequently seek support piecemeal in the face of the sometimes combined assaults of the opposition.

“Superprofits”

“We do not have the monopoly on good ideas”, declared Saturday to the Parisian the Minister of SMEs Olivia Grégoire, for whom the “new configuration of the Assembly makes the government move in its way of preparing and it is very good so”. The support of LR is thus hoped to have this draft budget adopted without having to count on the votes of the RN. In addition to the abolition of the fee, the amending budget includes the continuation of the fuel discount and the tariff shield on energy, the revaluation of the index point for civil servants and the financing of the takeover bid to renationalise EDF.

The pressure is also increasing, even in the majority, to tax the “superprofits” of large groups. TotalEnergies opportunely announced discounts at the pump from September on Friday, but this gesture is considered insufficient on the left and by certain members of the majority and the RN. The Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire is open to proposals from the right, to raise state aid on fuel, currently at 18 cents per litre.

The deputies already approved on Friday an increase in the tax exemption ceiling for overtime, as well as the possibility for companies to buy back from employees the days of RTT which they would have given up. The Assembly also voted to double the tax-free aid from companies to employees for their fuel costs (from 200 to 400 euros), and validated a measure favorable to the increase in restaurant vouchers.