Hearing by the Senate, former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne insisted that Matignon did not monitor tax revenues and controlled expenses. This was already stated by his successor Gabriel Attal, but also by Bruno Le Maire and Thomas Cazenave. From tense exchanges to revelations, these hearings nevertheless made it possible to learn more about the functioning of the State and its reaction to the slippage of public finances.
What did the tense hearings of the senatorial information mission on the deterioration of public accounts teach us about the functioning of the government? What clarifications will still need to be sought by the parliamentarians who will take over on December 2? The heated exchanges, led in the Senate by the president of the Finance Committee, Claude Raynal (PS) and the budget rapporteur Jean-François Husson (LR), initially leave an unpleasant impression of a lack of humility in the face of the seriousness of the budgetary slippage.
In 2024, France will post a deficit of 6.1% of GDP, instead of the anticipated rate of 4.4%. In addition, 40.5 billion euros of taxes will not enter the coffers, contrary to what was planned in September 2023. Partly because Bercy’s revenue estimates were baroque from 2023. One year later, Bruno Le Maire, Thomas Cazenave, Gabriel Attal and Élisabeth Borne said they were still unable to explain this slippage.