The left criticizes the postponement of a bill for the regulation of Airbnb

In the air for already a week, the postponement of this bill was acted on Tuesday during the conference of presidents, which brings together the main leaders of the National Assembly.

PS deputy Inaki Echaniz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), who hoped to defend this text in mid-June in the hemicycle, expressed his "cold anger" at this "retreat".

"It's a disavowal of the housing crisis (...) It's making fun of the world and not respecting the hundreds of mayors and local elected officials who are mobilizing" against "real estate speculation", estimated the elected socialist, who was to carry the bill with the macronist deputy Annaïg Le Meur (Finistère).

"We don't even have a future date" for this bill. "The compromise sold by the majority is shattered," denounced the PS deputy, pointing the finger at the centrists of the Modem who would have pushed for this postponement.

Renaissance co-rapporteur Annaïg Le Meur, a member of the presidential camp, "took note" of the postponement decision. She will do "everything possible" for the text to be examined in October, during the next week dedicated to transpartisan texts, she said.

Ecologist Julien Bayou (Paris) accused the majority of "giving in to Airbnb lobbying", "one more renunciation", despite "transpartisan and consensual proposals to more effectively regulate short-term tourist rentals".

In a press briefing, the MoDem Bruno Millienne (Yvelines) assured not "to be against the bill". "We are simply saying that it is not complete. There is more work to be done, especially on taxation," he said.

"If we vote for it, that means that tomorrow or in less than a year, we will do one on the same subject to try to broaden things," he said. This "will create dissatisfaction and frustration".

The bill intended to strengthen the competence of small municipalities in tense areas, by conditioning tourist rental to prior authorization, in particular in the event of a change of use of premises or accommodation.

It also aimed to tighten the scale of tax deductions granted in the event of the rental of furnished tourist accommodation, taking into account certain specific cases such as mountain resorts.

Finally, this text wanted to make tourist rentals conditional on the completion of an energy performance diagnosis, on the model of long-term rentals, unless an exemption is granted by the municipal council.

Chance of the calendar, the announcement of the postponement comes at a time when Airbnb challenged on Tuesday in court the some 30 million euros claimed by the community of municipalities of the Island of Oléron, in Charente-Maritime, for breaches of the collection of the tourist tax in 2020 and 2021.