The Senate adopted at first reading, Wednesday, August 3 shortly before 4 a.m., the second part of the measures to support purchasing power, marked by a new inflection to the right and a boost to communities, with 225 votes for , and 101 against.
The rectified budget for 2022 opens up 44 billion euros in credits, including 9.7 billion to finance the 100% renationalization of EDF. In particular, it provides for the continuation of the tariff shield on energy and the fuel discount of 30 cents per liter in September-October then 10 cents in November-December, and the revaluation of the index point for civil servants.
The left voted against. Socialist Rémi Féraud lamented “social setbacks” added by the senatorial majority, Pascal Savoldelli (CRCE with a communist majority) pointing “a now clear connivance between the senatorial right and the government”. Christine Lavarde (LR) on the contrary welcomed that the contributions of the Senate “reinforce purchasing power through work”while the centrist Sylvie Vermeillet made “a mixed report”.
Additional support for communities
The executive aims for a final adoption of the provisions intended to respond to galloping inflation by Sunday at the latest. This will be done a priori from Wednesday evening for the first part, with the bill of” emergency “ on which deputies and senators reached an agreement in a joint committee. On Wednesday evening, they will also try to find common ground on the amending finance bill, which could, if agreed, be definitively validated on Thursday.
At the end of the day on Tuesday, the Senate voted with the partial approval of the government for additional support for communities affected in particular by the increase in energy prices and the increase in the index point for civil servants, bringing the total envelope to 750 million euros.
At the start of the night, the senators satisfied a strong request from the president of the Republican (LR) group Bruno Retailleau by voting 20 million credits to launch the implementation of a biometric Vitale card. The objective is to fight against fraud.
“Alliance of the Rights”
Provoking an outcry on the left, they replaced, against the advice of the government, the exceptional back-to-school bonus of 100 euros, reserved for social minima, with an exceptional increase of 150 euros for beneficiaries of the activity bonus.
“You take advantage of the night to allow you to hit the poorest once again”, accused the ecologist Thomas Dossus. For the general rapporteur LR Jean-François Husson, it is ” a signal “ to the working poor who “often pass by” aids. “It is the children that you are going to penalize”, launched the socialist Jean-Claude Tissot. An envelope of 40 million euros for food banks, on the other hand, made consensus.
Several points “hot” had been adopted on Monday, despite a barrage of fire from the left against “an alliance of the rights” between government and LR.
With the support of the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, the Senate has perpetuated the increase from 5,000 to 7,500 euros of the ceiling for tax exemption for overtime, voted by the National Assembly for the year 2022 alone.
The purchase of the RTT validated, the audiovisual royalty removed
The High Assembly also voted, but against the advice of the government, the perpetuation of the possibility for companies to buy back the days of RTT from employees, planned by the deputies only until the end of 2023 – redemption exempt from taxes and contributions.
“We are in the middle of the night in August to bury the 35 hours”had already accused Mr. Dossus, the socialist David Assouline speaking “strike”like the unions who protest against the measure, seen as a bad response to inflation. “We assume perfectly to put a corner in the 35 hours by leaving the freedom to employees to convert the days of RTT not taken into salary”said Ms. Lavarde.
The Senate also voted to abolish the TV license fee, Emmanuel Macron’s promise. Like the Assembly, the Senate ruled out a tax on “superprofits” large groups, yet supported, in addition to the left, by the centrist group, the second component of the senatorial majority.
Regarding the price of fuel, the general rapporteur did not wish to go back on the compromise found by the government with the LR deputies. Bruno Le Maire also judged ” wise “ to adhere to the solution adopted by the National Assembly. He considers it possible to have, with the rebates from distributors and oil companies, “a price per liter of petrol or diesel at the start of the school year around 1.50 euros”.