“Young people always come last”: before the National Assembly, Minister David Amiel defends savings on retirees

In the hemicycle of the National Assembly, the debates relating to the 2027 budget are well underway. At the podium of the lower house, Tuesday October 13, the Minister of Public Accounts David Amiel denounced the unraveling of the government's initial copy by the deputies of the finance committee, in particular the savings aimed at retirees. “The finance committee at the National Assembly has downgraded the public deficit by 8 billion euros. It’s the equivalent of 150,000 teachers,” said the minister, amid the parliamentary heckling.

The deputies of the committee notably returned to the limitation of the 10% tax reduction on retirement pensions, supposed to bring in 1.4 billion euros to the State accounts. The sign of a political class that is too generous towards retirees, denounced David Amiel. “It’s basically the worst kept secret in political life: children and adolescents don’t vote, young people rarely vote and they always come last. So to buy time, the political class chose debt,” he lamented.

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With supporting figures, the Minister of Public Accounts assured that, for 50 years, “80% of the increase in public spending has not gone to young people, it has not gone into investments in the future, it has gone towards retirement and health”. He also castigated “an infernal machine which is leading us into the wall” or even “a political Ponzi pyramid”.

Also read Budget 2027: the examination in the National Assembly turns into a disaster for the public accounts

Retirement pensions at the heart of the debates

Despite the amendments adopted in committee, the government can still present its initial text in the hemicycle, the examination of which began on Tuesday October 13, under article 42 of the Constitution which authorizes such a maneuver for several texts of law. Sunday October 11, at the microphone of RTL, David Amiel assured that the savings on retirees represent “10% of the budgetary effort which is proposed”, while the latter represent 25% of the population. The fact remains that pensions are at the heart of budgetary debates.