the daily ceiling goes from 19 to 25 euros

The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire indicated that the daily ceiling for meal vouchers would be increased from 19 to 25 euros, as demanded by many deputies in the context of the parliamentary debate on purchasing power. “I am ready to increase the value (usable per day) of restaurant tickets from 19 to 25 euros”, he said on RMC / BFMTV, considering that it is a “good proposal” from the opposition in as part of the amending finance bill, the examination of which started on Friday.

“It is a proposal which is made by deputies as well Republicans as socialists or ecologists, I find that it is a good proposal (…). I take it”, he underlined.

The Minister then indicated to the Assembly that this ceiling would be raised by regulation. Restaurant vouchers, distributed by companies to their employees, are often used by the latter to do their food shopping, expenses which have increased in recent months due to inflation.

Already during the health crisis, the ceiling for the use of restaurant vouchers had been doubled and their conditions of use relaxed, to support the activity of restaurants hard hit by the restrictions.

“The objective is to support the purchasing power of those who work”

Initially, the Minister of the Economy was not in favor of a new gesture on meal vouchers. “Anything that has a significant budgetary cost, I look at it with great caution,” he explained again on Friday.

The National Assembly has also adopted amendments from the majority and LR to anticipate the 4% revaluation, scheduled for January 1, of exemptions for employers financing restaurant vouchers or “basket bonuses”. And this, in the objective that the financing increases.

“The objective is to support the purchasing power of those who work”, boasted Bruno Le Maire, while MP LR Véronique Louwagie felt that this was going “in the right direction” even if “it is insufficient” . The left pleaded in vain for an increase of at least 30% of this revaluation.