The French National Assembly continues debates on the 2026 finance bill, slowed by numerous amendments and divisions over tax increases. A poll shows 64% of French people expect the budget's rejection, fearing government censure more than the president's resignation. Sébastien Lecornu's government sticks to not using Article 49.3, leaving it two months to secure a majority.
Debates on the 2026 budget in the French National Assembly are bogging down, with over 2,500 amendments left to examine by late October. The vote originally scheduled for November 4 on the first part of the finance bill (PLF) appears compromised due to the slow pace, averaging about 15 amendments per hour. Thursday, October 30, is reserved for the Rassemblement national (RN) parliamentary niche, leaving only Friday and Monday to progress, as noted by Marine Le Pen, RN group president: “Everything is very slow. I don't see how we can finish examining these budget texts.”
At the heart of the tensions, the Zucman tax targeting large fortunes is prioritized for Friday, October 31. The right, led by Laurent Wauquiez, firmly opposes tax hikes, passing amendments such as indexing the income tax scale to inflation and full tax exemption for overtime hours. Wauquiez mobilized on Instagram: “We, the right, continue to hold our line: stop the taxes, enough. We vote against all increases.” The left deems it impossible to exempt professional assets from this taxation, unlike the right defending the “tool of work,” recalling the 1981 historical exemption granted to Liliane Bettencourt by François Mitterrand.
An Odoxa-Backbone Consulting poll for Le Figaro shows 64% of French people (+12 points) predicting budget rejection, with only Renaissance supporters (54%) and Republicans (50%) hoping for adoption. By forgoing Article 49.3, Sébastien Lecornu must negotiate in an Assembly without a clear majority, risking ordinances if the bill fails within two months. Editorials also criticize the debt exceeding 3,400 billion euros and public spending at 57% of GDP, proposing a refocus of the state, while the social security budget is accused of becoming “autophagous” by taxing patients and caregivers.