Bruno Le Maire dismisses the idea of ​​a tax on the wealthiest for the climate

2023-05-23 12:41:06

The cost of the ecological transition in France should amount to between 60 and 70 billion euros per year, according to Jean Pisany-Ferry. GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP

The economist Jean Pisani-Ferry, a time close to Emmanuel Macron, proposes in a report to tax the heritage of the richest 10% to finance the ecological transition.

Removed six years ago, the ISF has not disappeared from public debate. This solidarity tax on wealth made a new incursion noticed through the economist Jean Pisani-Ferry, a time close to Emmanuel Macron. In a report onthe economic implications of climate action“, invoiced at 66 billion euros per year, it proposes to finance the ecological transition in part by “an exceptional and temporary tax, based on the financial assets of the 10 % of wealthiest households, and calibrated according to the anticipated cost of the transition for public finances».

Something to revive the memory of theClimate ISF“, Claimed for a long time by environmental activists, like Greenpeace, and many political leaders on the left.

But the proposal is not successful on the side of the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire. “Tax is not the solution“, he hammered this Tuesday morning on RTL, while welcoming the quality of the work of Jean Pisani-Ferry. The Minister recalled that the government had no intention of increasing the taxpayer’s tax burden in order to finance the ecological transition: “10% of taxpayers already pay 75% of income tax. Our goal is to lower taxes, because the tax burden is already the highest in the world in France“, he assured.

“There are alternative solutions”

If he joins Jean Pisani-Ferry on the cost of the green transition in France – between 60 to 70 billion euros per year – Bruno Le Maire has outlined other avenues of financing. “There are alternative solutions, such as greening existing taxation, stopping funding polluting activitieshe argued. The Minister also wishesdirect savings to green investments“and finance the necessary transformations”with companies“. Finally, he counts on themobilization of banks», and in particular the European Investment Bank, to meet the climate challenges of tomorrow.

Same story, or almost, for the government spokesman Olivier Véran, guest in the morning of France Inter. “We believe that the transition can be self-financed by the transformations necessary to achieve it“, he advanced, citing the importance of “develop innovation, […] to reconcile growth and ecological transition“. Regarding tax, Olivier Véran believes, like Bruno Le Maire, “that we can get there without». «The challenge is to get us all involved in changes in behavior, production“Defended the government spokesperson.

The president of the Mouvement des entreprises de France (Medef), Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, for his part castigated this morning on France Info “a Pavlovian solution of the French enarchy: a problem, a tax“. The employer official considers that Jean Pisani-Ferry’s proposal to tax the highest estates up to 5% falls within the “contradiction». “He asks companies to invest, but he proposes to tax capital, therefore those who invest in companies”he regretted.

Despite his disagreement on this issue, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux praised aspects “positivein the report, in particular the defense of amore restrained, greener growth» in the absence of a decrease. “There we agree“, he said.