The Government is “favorable” to the possible extension in 2025 of the use of food vouchers for the purchase of food, indicated this Wednesday, October 23, the Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs, Laurence Garnier, in an interview with Le Parisien. Parliament extended this exemption until the end of 2024.
“Today what I can tell you is that the Government is in favor of extending this exemption,” the minister declared to the newspaper, also recalling that parliamentarians “are working on a bill in this regard.”
“A scandal”, according to Thierry Marx
The Government recently announced that the expansion of the use of food vouchers for the purchase of non-direct consumption products in supermarkets (flour, pasta, rice, meat, etc.), in force since 2022 and acclaimed by users, would be subject of arbitration. “in the next few days.” This initiative was described as a “scandal” by Thierry Marx, president of the Umih (Union of commerce and hotel industries).
Food vouchers “were created for restaurants” and their extension to mass distribution deprives restaurateurs of a windfall estimated at “576 million euros,” he stated in RMC about ten days ago. The other union in the sector, the Groupement des Hôtelleries & Restaurations de France (GHR), recognized that consumers see “an advantage in terms of purchasing power”, but advocated not “continuing to point all restaurant titles towards mass distribution” .
“Today, inflation tends to slow down, but we must continue to support the French,” considered the Secretary of State interviewed by Le Parisien. However, she was open to debate: “We are going to let the PLF (finance bill) and PLFSS (Social Security financing bill) be approved and I will receive all interested parties at the beginning of the year next,” he said. fiance.
Source: BFM TV
