The deputies approved on Saturday, during the first reading of the budget, the tax exemption of alimony for beneficiaries, and a mirror of taxation for those who pay it, against the opinion of the Government.
The amendment by the environmentalist Marie-Charlotte Garin was adopted by a large coalition of left-wing deputies, from the National Rally, and a part of the Macronists, mainly members of the Renaissance.
Currently, people who pay alimony are exempt from taxes on these amounts, while beneficiaries pay alimony if they are taxable. Therefore, the amendment reverses the situation, imposing a limit on this tax advantage of 4,000 euros per child, with a maximum limit of 12,000 euros per year.
The president of the environmental group Cyrielle Chatelain defended a measure that puts an end to a “double inequality”, while the beneficiary parent, according to her the mother in 97% of cases, not only generally receives alimony much lower than the costs of raising children, but is subject to taxes on this sum.
A similar amendment was adopted last year, but was not maintained during the approval of the budget through article 49, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which allows the government to choose the amendments it retains, he stressed.
According to the statement of reasons for the modification, the measure “could contribute to reducing the public deficit by about 450 million euros per year.”
The Minister of Public Accounts, Amélie de Montchalin, was unfavorable to the amendment, as well as others relating to the same issue, stressing that it would lead to “de facto favoring women who already have significant incomes” over those with lower incomes.
Early in the morning, deputies had adopted an amendment by Marie-Pierre Rixain (Renaissance) that exempts from tax the compensatory benefit paid in the event of divorce to the less economically advantaged spouse. This sum is currently subject to tax when the principal is paid over a period of more than 12 months.
Source: BFM TV
