Medef proposed Thursday the distribution of "eco-checks" to households under means test, as part of a presentation of its proposals for the economic recovery plan after the health crisis. "We were inspired by a Belgian measure. Eco-checks, [...] this concerns both organic food but also household equipment that consumes less [energy]", as well as "elements of thermal insulation of buildings ", explained during an online press conference the president of Medef Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux.
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A system already in place in Belgium
He clarified that in Belgium, where the system has existed for several years, it was the companies that distributed these checks but that in France, they would not have the means in the current situation. He also rejected the American model of "helicopter money" implemented by the Trump administration. Indeed "distributing 500 or 1,000 euros to each household means-tested" involves the risk "of simply adding to the very high savings of households", and also "that this turns into an accelerator of imports, to make it simple to buy an iPhone on Amazon ", according to Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux.
The measure, like that of "tax-free the early release of participation and profit-sharing" or "exempt donations of family money [with ceiling] made in the twelve months", aims to support household consumption " by making money circulate better ", details the employers' organization. The urgency of these measures is justified because, according to Medef, "the macro-economic situation is more degraded in France than in the EU average".
Other measures proposed to Bruno Le Maire
Among the provisions proposed by Medef Wednesday to the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire, also include early repayments of tax credits or tax claims for businesses, the postponement of tax and social due dates for June and a spread reimbursement of charges already deferred. In a second step, Medef would like these charges to be canceled for companies "put into difficulty by the crisis". And in the event that the latter could not repay the loans guaranteed by the State (PGE), a part "will have to be replaced by quasi-equity" in the form of long-term bonds.
Finally, the first French employers' organization pleads for a continuation of structural reforms in order to improve the competitiveness of French companies, by eliminating a production tax (C3S) and lowering another (CET) at a cost of 5.5 billion euros on the basis of what they brought to public finances before the crisis.