Overview

• Marine Le Pen has declared that the RN will table and vote for a censure motion if the government includes new consumption tax measures in its 2026 budget.
• Prime Minister François Bayrou has reopened discussions on a ‘TVA sociale’ mechanism to shore up public finances after inviting unions and employers to engage on the proposal.
• First introduced under Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012 but never implemented and later repealed by François Hollande, the proposed levy would shift some social security funding onto consumption.
• Le Pen contends that consumption tax hikes disproportionately burden low-income households and accuses the government of avoiding cuts to state spending and immigration-related expenses.
• Bayrou has also suggested a referendum on a comprehensive deficit-reduction plan, a move that Le Pen rejects in favor of public votes on immigration policy.