Paris (AFP)
The French public deficit will widen again this year to reach 9.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP), said Monday the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, unprecedented for the French economy, consequence of new expenses incurred to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic.
This record deficit "is linked to three things: the first is that we are postponing a certain number of expenses from 2020 to 2021 (...), (then) because we continue to help a number of sectors and companies, even if we are gradually going to remove this aid, and thirdly because there is part of the recovery plan that has been disbursed, "detailed Bruno Le Maire on France 2.
The public deficit, which includes in addition to the state budget deficit that of Social Security and local communities, was initially forecast at 8.5% of GDP for 2021, but had already been revised upwards to 9%. , At the beginning of April.
In euros, it should reach 220 billion, nearly 47 billion more than what had been budgeted in the initial finance law, the Minister of Public Accounts Olivier Dussopt told AFP on Sunday.
This deficit "is the extension of the effort that we have made to protect our economy and at the same time the increase of this economic recovery that we want to have this 5% of growth figure which remains our objective", defended Bruno The Mayor Monday.
The government is due to present on Wednesday an amending finance bill (PLFR) comprising more than 15 billion euros of additional emergency measures, which will be used in particular to finance partial activity and targeted aid for companies in difficulty. .
New support measures for companies in very great difficulty or tax relief for companies must also be presented on this occasion.
The public debt will swell to 117.2% this year, against 115.1% last year, Olivier Dussopt said Monday on Public Senate.
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