Deep-frying on the high-speed line… At a time when several communities in Nouvelle-Aquitaine are asked to decide on their contribution to the 14 billion euros of the GPSO (Grand Projet du Sud-Ouest), including 10.3 billion for the Bordeaux-Toulouse LGV, many divisions are emerging.
In Bordeaux Métropole, the left-green majority is on the verge of implosion, while several departments or agglomerations simply refuse to pay the slightest penny to the project. The desire of the government to create a new tax to relieve the share of communities, is also considered “inappropriate” by some …
Prime Minister Jean Castex relaunched the GPSO last April, announcing that the government would provide 4.1 billion euros to the Bordeaux-Toulouse LGV, or 40% of the amount of the project. “A windfall that must be seized” according to the supporters of the project. The communities of the two regions are also supposed to provide 40%, but the government is offering them a new financing structure, which would allow their borrowing to be spread over 40 years, and reduce their bill by 30%. On the model of what has been done for Greater Paris, a local public establishment (EPL), to which each contributing community must adhere, will thus levy a new tax on top of the existing local taxes. This structure is supposed to bring in 24 million euros per year, thanks to a special tax on offices (TSB) and equipment (TSE).
“This new tax should represent 3 to 4 euros more per year and per household”
The latter will be backed by property taxes and housing taxes on second homes, in municipalities located less than an hour from a station served by the LGV, within the two regions. An amendment was passed, at first reading, on November 12 in the National Assembly, to authorize its creation on January 1, 2023. This strangles the elected representatives of the groups Alternative for a Citizen Metropolis, and Ecologist and Citizen Metropolis , of the metropolis of Toulouse. “It is a vast majority of the inhabitants of the agglomerations of Bordeaux, Agen, Montauban, Toulouse and well beyond who are affected, denounce these elected officials. For Haute-Garonne, for example, 95% of inhabitants live in a perimeter subject to this new tax, many of them in metropolitan territory. “
The president of the Occitanie region Carole Delga (PS) tried Thursday to defuse the situation, hastening to specify that “this new tax should represent 3 to 4 euros more per year and per household which pays the property tax”. She also underlines that the inhabitants concerned “will see an increase in the value of their land” thanks to the LGV. The president of the Renouveau Bordeaux group, Thomas Cazenave (LREM), considers for his part “quite normal that those who will benefit from the link, be called at some point for financing. “
Bill still too high for several elected officials of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Thanks to this mechanism, the contribution of the communities of the Occitanie region must thus be reduced from 3.1 billion euros to 2.2 billion euros, and that of the communities of Nouvelle-Aquitaine to 2.6 billion euros. to 1.8 billion, the differential being provided by these taxes.
In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, however, many find that the bill is still too high. When they do not simply refuse to pay, as is the case with the Lot-et-Garonne department and the agglomeration of Agen. “We are not pronouncing on the advisability of the LGV, on which different sensitivities appear, but the four political groups of the assembly voted unanimously against the principle of the financing of 120 million euros which was us asked, explains Christian Dézalos, vice-president in charge of finance at the Lot-et-Garonne departmental council. We estimate that this GPSO project is a national and European project, but which is only funded up to 40% by the State, and potentially 20% by Europe. It is insufficient, and the communities are called upon to an incredible level. “
The Lot-et-Garonne had not however balked to provide 35 million euros, for the financing of the LGV Tours-Bordeaux. “The context has since changed for the departmental councils, justifies Christian Dézalos. In particular, we have lost our competence in transport, and GPSO is indeed a transport project! We are also asked to comment when we lack information on the project. The machine has taken off a bit quickly since the Prime Minister’s intervention. “
“I no longer have a majority with the Greens” laments the president of Bordeaux Métropole
The agglomeration of the Basque Country is also against it, while negotiations are continuing on the side of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the agglomeration of Pau. And what about the situation at the Bordeaux Métropole council? The Greens are expected to vote against the € 354 million subsidy, which will be put to a vote on November 25 and 26, while the left-wing majority is in favor of the GPSO.
“I respect their decision, even if I do not find it coherent, but this creates a new political situation, deplored Thursday evening the president of Bordeaux Métropole, Alain Anziani (PS). I no longer have a majority with the Greens, but I am very keen on this project, so I will look elsewhere if others want to vote for it. On the right side in particular, which is also divided on the subject. Nothing says that a majority can be achieved by next Friday.
However, it will become urgent to move forward on this file, since the financial round table must be completed before the end of 2021, before the Council of State decides by April 2022.
Occitanie demands reciprocity from New Aquitaine
On the Occitan side, where the financial round is complete, elected officials are starting to get impatient. And to put the pressure on. The president of the region Carole Delga launched a few days ago that “the LGV in Toulouse is for 2030”. This would require that the works start as planned in 2024. This is why the socialist, as well as the mayor of Toulouse Jean-Luc Moudenc, taste less and less the outputs of the mayor EELV of Bordeaux, Pierre Hurmic having decided to take the head of an anti-LGV crusade, taking with him several elected officials from the south-Gironde in particular.
The communities of the former Midi-Pyrénées region gladly remind him that they had paid 300 million euros for the realization of the LGV Tours-Bordeaux, which had made it possible to put Bordeaux at 2:04 from Paris in July 2017. This one had cost 7.8 billion euros in all, and for the first time, a public-private partnership had been set up, with the company Lisea (offshoot of Vinci). The communities had participated to the tune of 3 billion euros, and those of Midi-Pyrénées had been called on to contribute, in particular in the perspective of the extension of the LGV to Toulouse, which should put Paris at 3:10 from the Pink City, against 4:10 currently.
Today, they demand reciprocity from New Aquitaine. To which Pierre Hurmic retorts that they have already had their money’s worth, since the Tours-Bordeaux LGV had made it possible to bring Toulouse closer to one hour from Paris. The train of discord, you say?