2024-01-22 20:46:36
They denounce a “purely political” and “unjust” decision. Socialist deputies tabled a text on Monday aimed at freezing electricity prices, the day after Bercy’s announcement of an increase in prices of up to 9.8% from February 1. While “one in five people are in a situation of energy poverty, a further 10% increase in electricity prices would be a decision of terrible social violence,” denounced the socialist deputy Philippe Brun, author of the proposal. of law co-signed by almost the entire group.
This proposal aims to modify the 2024 finance law to remove the possibility for the government to modify the excise on electricity by decree. But the socialists risk encountering a problem in including it on the Assembly’s agenda: if they benefit from a day reserved for their texts on February 29, it is too late to include this one. “We are proposing it for co-signature to the majority deputies who are against this explosion which nothing justifies,” announces Mr. Brun, contacted by AFP, who proposes to make it a transpartisan text, eligible for examination parliamentarian during dedicated weeks.
A “racket”
The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire confirmed on Sunday an increase in prices from 8.6% to 9.8% depending on the contracts, a decision in line with the government’s commitment to gradually end the “tariff shield” put in place. place at the end of 2021 to limit price increases. “We are making the French pay the cost of a tariff shield which was invented by the State to pay for the speculation of energy companies. I say that on the contrary, we must tax the large profits of energy companies,” commented Philippe Brun.
⚡️ Against the 10% increase in bills, let’s freeze the electricity tax!
A further increase in electricity bills of +130€ per year on average would be a decision of terrible social violence.
We are submitting a bill.
— Socialist and related deputies (@socialistesAN) January 22, 2024
The announced measure has been strongly criticized for several weeks by opposition parties who point out that electricity prices have jumped by more than 40% in two years. In a press release published on Monday, the senators of the communist group denounced a “racket”, to the “detriment of the well-being of our fellow citizens”.
“It is a difficult decision, but (…) necessary to guarantee our capacity to invest in new electricity production capacities and then to definitively get out of it whatever the cost,” argued Bruno Le Maire, announcing that the next increase would take place “February 1, 2025”. According to him, the tax increase will bring in 6 billion euros this year.
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