Post-megafire aid in Gironde: “A first step, an important step” for the mayor of Lacanau

“It’s a first step, an important step,” reacted on franceinfo Tuesday, August 18, Laurent Peyrondet, mayor of Lacanau (Gironde) and president of Médoc Atlantique Tourisme (which brings together 13 municipalities from Lacanau to Verdon-sur-Mer), after the aid announced by Sébastien Lecornu on Monday, August 17, during his trip to Gironde, to launch the reconstruction of the areas affected by the July megafire.

Aid to communities, acceleration of building permits or even property tax relief and exemptions from social security contributions for businesses: “Many of these measures are linked to the PLF 2027 [Finance Bill], so we will have to look carefully,” warns the MoDem elected official. But these measures will allow professionals "to plan for the future", particularly in the tourism sector, while "the figures are not encouraging", "the two biggest weeks of the summer" having been particularly affected.

“We can help our businesses get through this milestone”

The total cost of these business support measures could exceed 100 million euros, according to the Prime Minister. “These are revenues that will not go into the Social Security budget, since there are exemptions from social contributions,” recognizes the mayor of Lacanau. Concerning the property tax, owed by companies to communities, which the State plans to pay, "we will look carefully" if "these revenue losses" are well compensated, warns Laurent Peyrondet.