Margaux Fodéré / Photo credits: JUSTINE BONNERY / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 07:21, 06 September 2023

Faced with the new surge in fuel prices, the president of the Republicans of Hauts-de-France, Xavier Bertrand, asked the government for a rebate of 15 to 20 cents on the price of a liter of gasoline for all. But the Minister of the Economy is clear on this subject: fuel subsidies are over.

Bruno Le Maire believes that a rebate on fuel prices would not be responsible given the cost it would represent. According to him, a new aid for all, as proposed by Xavier Bertrand, would cost 12 billion euros while the State has already spent nearly 8 billion euros in 2022 for successive rebates between April and December of the same year.

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Costly aid for the government

A new aid would therefore not be consistent with the government's budgetary commitments, according to Bruno Le Maire. Bercy is looking for savings. For example, the minister has already approved the end of the tariff shield by the end of 2024. "The tariff shield had cost 20 billion euros in 2022 and the forecast for 2023 is a blow of about 30 billion euros. So I think the government wants to get out of this period of important aid," said Sylvain Bersinger, chief economist at Asterés.

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Another argument put forward by the Minister of the Economy: the incompatibility of public aid for fossil fuels with global warming. However, the tax advantage on non-road diesel, used in particular in construction, should be gradually eliminated by 2030.