The National Assembly on Saturday narrowly rejected the idea of a tax on “super profits” Where “extraordinary earnings” large multinationals in the transport of goods or oil, despite the protests of the left and the RN.
The votes were very close (96 in favor, 114 against) to reject amendments mainly from the ranks of the left-wing alliance Nupes but also from the Agrupación Nacional.
Four deputies from the majority abstained, including Sacha Houlié and Caroline Janvier, who had defended the principle of this tax. One of his colleagues at Horizons voted in favour.
Opposition MPs wanted a “exceptional tax of 25% on superprofits” of the different companies, oil and gas, maritime transport or highway concessionaires.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire criticized the principle of a tax, “ideological emphasis”, according to him, and praised the timely actions of TotalEnergies and CMA CGM. The energy and shipping giants on Friday offered a pump discount of 20 cents for one and a reduction in freight rates of 750 euros per 40-foot container for the other.
The members of the majority had presented amendments to propose this tax, withdrawn after the announcements of the two international giants.
The majority could count on Republican support for this text. “Our DNA is to tax less”Veronique Louwagie said. “Yes, the pressure from the National Assembly on Total and on CMA CGM was effective and I thank all the parliamentarians, all the benches combined”welcomed Bruno Le Maire, for whom the voluntary contribution of the two groups makes “more money to the French”.
Words that aroused the anger of the left. “The French people suffer when Total gets fed up”scolded the leader of the Insoumis Mathilde Panot. “You reject a legitimate measure that is spreading around us”lamented the socialist Christine Pires Beaune, citing the cases of Spain, Great Britain or Italy that adopted exceptional taxes on “super profits”.
“There was a time, in this hemicycle at the beginning of the Third Republic, where the big bosses sat directly to defend their interests, they had the merit of transparency, now they are ministers”attacked RN Jean-Philippe Tanguy, speaking of “indecent number” Among “pressuring and defending macronie”.
“Here the only lobbyist is me”swept Bruno Le Maire.