PARIS - The French government will include in its 2010 budget the carbon tax, which aims to reduce the use of fossil fuels and promote clean technologies, declares Eric Woerth.
The carbon tax will appear in the finance law for 2010, confirms Budget Minister Eric Woerth, who again estimated that charging 32 euros per tonne of CO2, as proposed by the commission chaired by Michel Rocard, was too high. (Reuters / Alexandra Beier)
The carbon tax will appear in the finance law for 2010, confirms Budget Minister Eric Woerth, who again estimated that charging 32 euros per tonne of CO2, as proposed by the commission chaired by Michel Rocard, was "too important ". (Reuters / Alexandra Beier)
The Budget Minister reaffirmed, on i-Télé, that the "energy-climate contribution", the terms of which remain to be determined, should be below 32 euros per tonne of CO2, a figure put forward by the former Socialist Prime Minister Michel Rocard, who chairs the expert conference on the carbon tax.
It "will be in the 2010 finance law because the carbon tax is a smart tax," said Eric Woerth.
The ceiling of 32 euros, "I have already said that I found that too important". "I imagine the number will be lower but the president and the prime minister will decide."
Eric Woerth specified that "all or part" of this tax would be returned to households.
Consumer associations are worried about the impact of this new device on the energy bills of households, especially those living in rural areas.
Michel Rocard had specified that the cost could be established around 300 euros per year for "a little more than half of households", on the basis of a contribution of 32 euros per tonne of CO2, or seven to eight cents per liter of gasoline.
The Secretary of State for Ecology, Chantal Jouanno, assured Tuesday that the government would not undermine the purchasing power of the French.
"What must be returned to households, in one form or another, will be. It is not made to fill the coffers of the State," she said on BFM. "All forms of redistribution will be on the table," she said.
As for the amount, she also believes that "32 euros is too high". "We will see if it is between 14-20 euros. We are at this low water level," she added.
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