Reducing motorists’ bills by lowering taxes on fossil fuels is not on the agenda. The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire repeated this Friday his opposition to a reduction in fuel taxes, at a time when their prices continue to climb at the pump. However, he said he was open to directing these taxes towards the financing of the ecological transition. “Do we really want to lower taxes on fossil fuels? Is this really the right policy to help us accelerate the ecological transition? asked the minister when asked regarding CNews.
“I prefer to commit to the French that all tax revenues from fossil fuels be directed towards the decarbonization of our economy, towards ecological transition”, he proposed. “I prefer that we work on this rather than lowering the tax on gasoline or diesel which will cost tens of billions of euros to the State and which will be seen very little in the pockets of the French” , he said.
Already 15 billion in aid
According to Bercy’s assessments, a gain of 10 cents on the liter of fuel obtained by a tax reduction represents a shortfall of 5 billion euros in revenue for the State. In one report published on Tuesday, the Council of compulsory levies (CPO) considered that the rule of non-assignment of revenue might be reconsidered to make environmental taxation more acceptable to the French.
“I am ready to look at this idea and say now that any euro earned on fossil fuels – by a tax, VAT or any taxation whatsoever – will go directly, exclusively and totally to the ecological transition”, advanced The Minister.
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Since the autumn, the government has rolled out several measures (energy voucher, inflation allowance, gas and electricity price caps, etc.) to try to limit the impact of soaring energy prices on the purchasing power of the French, at a cost exceeding 15 billion euros.