The summer season is open with all that it offers crossovers on the highway of the sun. But while the French see their wallets lightened by galloping inflation, the debate on the cost of tolls and the profits that companies derive from them is gaining in intensity. “The option” of a new taxation of motorway companies “is being studied”, announced this Tuesday the Minister of Economy and Finance on France 2.
Bruno Le Maire specifies however that “if there is a decision”, it will appear in the finance bill for 2024. Monday, The echoes indicated that the government had received the green light from the Council of State to tax motorway companies more. “It is under study, you have to look carefully at what the Council of State says, taxation is possible. […] Then this can only be done if all the other concessionary companies are also taxed: the hydroelectric dams are concessions, the Paris airport is a concession, so we will study this option, ”detailed the minister.
The reduction in corporate tax, a cost for the State
“I just want to know what this tax is for, what it can finance, and above all what the impact could be for the other concessions,” he added. According The echoesthe government could recoup 2-3 billion euros in revenue by 2030, while motorway companies have enjoyed larger net gains since 2018, due to the reduction in the tax rate on companies, fell from 33% to 25% during Macron’s first five-year term.
On Monday, the government indicated that it had identified “at least 10 billion euros in savings” which are only a “step” and will contribute by 2027 to the recovery of France’s degraded accounts, by cutting into expenditure of health or fuel tax benefits. “But I’m not hiding it, we will still have to make additional savings, the best way to reduce the country’s debt is to save money,” said Bruno Le Maire on France 2 on Tuesday.