“The situation is serious.” President of the Île-de-France region Valerie Pecresse has asked elected officials to help her bring the government “face to face with its responsibilities” in the face of the rising costs of operating transport in the Île-de-France region. in a letter that Le Parisien was able to read.
In his letter, the presidential candidate of the Republic of Lithuania again threatens to increase the cost of the Navigo pass. “Despite my best efforts to secure new government revenue, the government lockdown paves the way for a €90 Navigo pass, or 20% more,” she writes.
“That is why I am asking you to mobilize all the funds at your disposal to force the government to fulfill its responsibilities on this matter and ask it to include in the 2023 finance bill the necessary tax revenue to help reduce the bill for as many users from Ile de France,” continues Valerie Pecresse.
Regional operator Île-de-France Mobilités is struggling to cope with the explosion in public transport operating costs due to inflation and the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February. Moreover, the trains continued to carry passengers “during successive detentions to maintain the activities of the country (…), despite significant financial losses,” recalls the president of the region, adding that the losses were compensated by the IDF.
Several proposals rejected by the state
According to Valerie Pekress, the state would withdraw from subsidizing the losses in 2020 and 2021, allocating only “an advance of 2 billion euros, the reimbursement of which begins in 2023.” The President of the Île-de-France region would propose to the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport a number of solutions, such as lowering VAT, increasing mobility fees for companies, turning Covid debt into a subsidy, or even a tourist tax on hotels above 4 stars. All of these proposals have been “swept away” according to a former budget minister who deplored the fact that all funding is “only for travelers”.
“At my request, the local authorities will make an unprecedented effort, increasing their contribution by 7.5%, which will bring 100 million euros of new resources (51 million euros from the Île-de-France region, 30 million euros from the city of Paris; 8 million euros from O de Seine; 4 million euros from Saint-Saint-Denis; 3 million euros from Val-de-Marne; 2 million euros from Yvelines and almost 1 million euros from Essones, Val-d’Oise and Seine-Marne)” , also indicates the presidential candidate, welcoming the “big gesture.”
The government did not wait for the publication of this letter to try to put out the fire. Transport Minister Clément Beaune said the government is “discussing” with the Île-de-France region to “avoid” the price of the Navigo pass this Monday on RMC. Government spokesman Olivier Veran, for his part, assured that the state would be able to discuss with the region “determining ways and means to avoid such a significant increase as the one mentioned.”
Source: Le Parisien
