A shower of criticism welcomed Emmanuel Macron’s project to abolish the audiovisual license fee, if he were re-elected, announced Monday March 7 during a meeting with French people in Poissy (Yvelines). “I see it as an electoral and demagogic idea at a time when we see how important it is to have journalists who are not subject to political power”comments Socialist Senator David Assouline. “It is a weakening of the public service”corroborates the centrist Laurent Lafon, president of the culture committee of the Senate.
Each year, 28 million households and 79,000 companies pay 138 euros to finance France Televisions, Radio France, France Media World (RFI, France 24) and INA, which thus receive 3.2 billion euros. No wonder the emotion is so great in the face of a measure likely to shake up the whole building. “The resumption of this proposal, already defended by Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, is unbearably cynical”writes on his blog Pascal Rogard, general manager of the SACD which represents the authors.
This outcry prompted those close to the president-candidate to clear the land on Tuesday, March 8. “The TV license fee is today a rather unpopular but above all unfair tax, said Olivier Dussopt, Minister Delegate for Public Accounts, on Sud Radio. If you win 1200-1300 euros you pay a fee of 138 euros. If you earn 10,000 euros per month, you pay the same [somme] ». Pledge of Emmanuel Macron’s good intentions with regard to public service, a replacement mechanism guaranteeing resources will be presented around March 20, says his entourage.
This scenario directly submits Radio France and France Télévisions to the arbitrations taken during the finance laws
What will it be? A certainty, there will be no “substitute tax”, specifies the deputy of La République en Marche (LRM) Aurore Bergé. On France Inter on Tuesday, Gabriel Attal, spokesman for the government, mentioned the track of“a budget voted for five years”, to which “we can’t deviate”. “We can imagine a programming law, like what we do in researchexpands Mme Bergé. This mechanism would engage us politically and prevent Bercy from going back on it every year..
The fact remains that this scenario, which leads to the budgeting of public broadcasting, was feared by the bosses of Radio France, Sibyle Veil, and of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte, insofar as it directly submits public television and radio to the arbitrations taken during finance laws. “It will be the triumph of Bercy! », denounces Mr. Assouline. For her part, Aurore Bergé wants to be reassuring, recalling that “the Constitutional Council has already laid down the principle of the independence of public broadcasting, by requiring, when Nicolas Sarkozy abolishes , that its resources be assured”.
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