“Purchasing power” bill: clear objectives, concrete measures, immediate effects

For Frédérique Puissat, rapporteur, “We must be clear about the objectives: the bonus offered is a boost to purchasing power. It is neither a new form of profit-sharing nor a substitute for salary increases. We must respond to the expectations of the French people with concrete measures, with immediate effects”.

Accordingly, the committee has:

• renamed the premium, together with the Finance Committee, in "purchasing power premium", denomination more in keeping with its purpose;
• limited to four installments, through the adoption of an amendment by Christine Lavarde, rapporteur for the opinion of the Finance Committee, the possible splitting of the bonus during the year to prevent it from replacing salary increases;
• clarified the assessment report on substitution effects;
• given a permanent nature to the bonus only for companies with less than fifty employees, for which it can objectively offer an alternative to profit-sharing.

Favoring concrete measures with immediate effects, the commission also planned:

• a reduction in employer contributions for overtime for companies with at least twenty employees;
• le early release sums invested under theemployee savings ;
• speeding up the process extension of wage agreements.

Seized for an opinion on the substantive examination of Articles 6 to 13, 15 bis and 15 ter, 17 to 19 and 22, the Economic Affairs Committee:

• preserved the compromise found between tenants, the State through support for low-income households by increasing APLs and landlords who accept a cap on rent increases, and removed the exceptions, their applicability and constitutionality not being not guaranteed;
• sought in energy a balance on the level of the ceiling and the price of the Arenh. It has better framed the emergency measures, the crisis context should not excessively affect the freedom of enterprise and the right to property;
• has raised the ambition of the text in terms of consumption while ensuring that it is suitable for small businesses (such as craftsmen).

For Daniel Gremillet, draftsman, “On the economic side, the bill is paradoxical: it aims to support purchasing power but includes few measures in this direction. It also betrays the fact that the Government sees purchasing power only as a revenue issue, rarely in terms of prices or costs. Some emergency provisions will have financial implications for consumers. Others show little respect for freedom of enterprise and the right to property. Our committee took care to correct these “side effects” in a spirit of balance between consumer protection, particularly energy, including businesses and local authorities, and support for economic players. »

For Sophie Primas, President of the Economic Affairs Committee, “While the Government announced better relations with Parliament, the method used on this text is not admissible. 15 days of delay between its presentation in the Council of Ministers and that in Parliament, 3 days between its adoption by the National Assembly and its examination in the Senate. If the text is badly anticipated, it is also badly evaluated. Evidenced by the indigence of the impact study! ".

Seized for an opinion on the substantive examination of Articles 14, 16, 20 and 21, the Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development regretted the tight deadlines imposed by the Government which do not allow Parliament to work calmly.

However, in a spirit of responsibility, it wished to provide additional guarantees to the derogatory procedures instituted by the bill to secure the French energy supply and support road transport professionals in the face of rising fuel costs.

“The lack of strategic vision and the accumulation of inopportune decisions have led to strong tension which threatens French energy sovereignty” observes the draftsman, Bruno Belin, for whom “this catch-all text prepared in haste is not supported by an impact study commensurate with the challenges allowing the legislator to fully exercise his powers. »