Renovation: “Let us work”, says Capeb, which is asking the government for a reduction in VAT for individuals wishing to undertake work

“We have been experiencing a clear decline in activity for four years,” explains Jean-Christophe Repon, president of the Confederation of Crafts and Small Building Companies (Capeb) on Wednesday October 28 on ICI Provence and Tuesday October 27 on France Inter, while asking the government to “let” building craftsmen “work”. This sector represents 540,000 employees in France.

The union is calling in particular for "a reduction in VAT to 5.5% to restore purchasing power to individuals" who want to undertake all types of renovation work, and no longer just energy renovation. This reduction in VAT, "it will be some 500 million euros which will not fit" into the State coffers, estimates Jean-Christophe Repon on France Inter but "it will also be two billion euros in additional work and 10,000 jobs created".

“In four years, almost 45,000 jobs have been destroyed”

Capeb is making this proposal while in the third quarter of 2026, "the activity of artisanal construction companies fell by 1% over one year", explains its president, while specifying that "in four years, almost 45,000 jobs have been destroyed". “Our quotes have inevitably increased,” he says, because of the rise in material prices “linked to the war in Ukraine and then to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz” while at the same time, “the purchasing power of the French has fallen.” “Everyone saves and no one invests in renovation,” emphasizes Jean-Christophe Repon.