The hypothesis holds the rope at the Ministry of Transport. Faced with the “surplus profits” of companies that operate highways on behalf of the State, Minister Clément Beaune wants to introduce an exceptional tax on profits. “The level of profitability of the dealers is above the levels envisaged” in the contracts which bind them to the State, points out in the entourage of the minister.
The Council of State has been seized to find out whether such a tax is applicable with regard to the contracts which bind the two parties. “Without the price of tolls increasing for the user,” insists the Ministry of Transport. It is not impossible that the sages of the Royal Palace issue a favorable opinion, according to a source familiar with the matter. It should be noted that the opinions of the Council of State are purely “advisory”. These are independent legal analyzes and recommendations “that the Government, deputies and senators are free to follow or not”. But in the event that this tax turns out to be legal, Clément Beaune wants it to come into force as soon as possible, that is to say on the occasion of the 2024 finance law.
It will remain to convince the entire government of the relevance of this tax mechanism, which should not be an easy task. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, had pleaded for his part in favor of a shortening of the concession contracts, supposed to expire between 2031 and 2036. A solution which would be very expensive for the State since he would be required to compensate the concession companies.
Bruno Le Maire also made an impression last fall by hammering home his opposition to a tax on “superprofits”, in line with the rest of the head of state. Emmanuel Macron recently reiterated his opposition to taxing the record profits of certain companies. “In the case of the concession companies, the forecasts envisaged have been exceeded. It’s less about “superprofits” – a term that doesn’t mean much – than about “superprofits””, re-establishes someone close to Clément Beaune.
The Ministry of Transport considers that the creation of an ad hoc tax should prevent concessionaires from passing on this tax to users. This is the reason why it favors a new tax rather than the temporary increase in existing taxes, provided for in the concession contracts and which the concessionaires have the right to pass on in the price of the tolls.
Another argument is invoked by the Ministry of Transport: the need to recover resources to finance the very costly ecological transition of the sector. The government announced on Wednesday an investment of 8.6 billion euros to help the regions develop sustainable mobility. “We increase by 50% the annual credits devoted by the State to transport compared to previous contracts”, welcomed Clément Beaune. The minister’s entourage insists on the fact that these important credits must be financed.
