Bruno Le Maire lectures the Medef after a criticism of “the addiction to public debt” – Le Monde

Bruno Le Maire at the Elysée, September 26. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP It’s “a little strong coffee”. Bruno Le Maire denounced, Tuesday September 27 on France Inter, the criticisms formulated by the Movement of companies of France (Medef, employers’ union) against the draft budget for 2023 presented the day before. In a press release, the first employers’ organization in France regretted a “habituation to public spending”. “The Medef finds that we are increasing the debt and the public deficit? I make them a proposal: all you have to do is give up lowering production taxes, it costs 8 billion euros, we will save money, “said the number two of the government, in an unusually dry tone towards employers. In its draft budget, the government plans, in fact, to abolish the contribution on the added value of companies (CVAE) by 2024, a request from employers which represents a loss of tax revenue of around 8 billion euros. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers What the 2023 draft budget presented by the government contains “If the Medef really wants us to reduce the deficit and the debt, stop paying lip service to pension reform, that he supports it with enthusiasm and determination, fumed the minister. This is 8 to 9 billion euros in savings at the end of the five-year term. Call for “coherence” The tenant of Bercy did not stop his severe lesson there. “If the Medef wants us to reduce public spending, the Labaronne commission [un groupe de députés chargé de proposer des pistes de réduction de la dépense publique] has identified all the tax credits that companies benefit from,” he underlined. That the Medef “come and identify with us the tax credits that we could reduce, and that it show a little bit of consistency”, concluded the minister. In its press release published on Monday, the Medef had affirmed that current expenditure excluding the crisis would increase by “more than 62 billion euros in 2023”. “France continues to live beyond its means,” said the employers’ organization. On a more moderate tone, the Union of local businesses (U2P) deplored on Monday a “limit” in the draft budget for 2023. According to the organization which represents artisans and local businesses, the text “will contribute increase the country’s debt burden without it being possible to guarantee the level of growth that will be reached in 2023″. Read also: For the president of Medef, the State is the “biggest superprofiter” of “corporate superprofits” Le Monde with AFP