Budget 2026: Minister of Public Accounts Amélie de Montchalin Proposes to Eliminate 50 Tax Loopholes

ECONOMY: The Minister responsible for Public Accounts wants to propose to parliamentarians the elimination of 50 tax loopholes in the next draft budget

An outstretched hand before the vote of confidence ? The Minister of Public Accounts, Amélie de Montchalin, calls for “compromise” in order to develop the budget 2026 and proposes to tackling tax loopholes in an interview given to BFMTV.

“This is a proposal that we are going to make to parliamentarians, to eliminate 50 tax loopholes assessed as obsolete or ineffective”, she confirmed, without specifying the tax measures that could be concerned.

Open a debate

In France, there are 474 tax loopholes, 65 of which are in the process of being extinguished, for a total cost of 85.1 billion euros, according to a document annexed to the 2025 finance bill, “volume II of ways and means”. Fifteen alone represent 50% of the total cost, the most expensive being the research tax credit (CIR). A windfall when the government must find it around 40 billion euros in savings.

This is not the first time that the Minister of Public Accounts has raised the subject of these tax measures. She had already talked about it last April, then in June when she mentioned it a reassessment of the tax credit for employing an employee at home, before Matignon calms things down.

“I have always said regarding childcare, elderly people at home, disabled people, I do not want us to touch what works, recalled Amélie de Montchalin on Tuesday. Conversely, there are debates that we can open, but let’s have a culture of negotiation.

Tax optimization

In the same vein of opening the debate, François Bayrou reaffirmed Tuesday that the highest incomes and “those who optimize their taxation” would see each other request a “specific effort” for the 2026 budget. “Tax loopholes that primarily benefit wealthy households and large businesses will be removed whenever they are found to be unfair and unnecessary”, he said.

“It is the commitment he made, with the Socialist Party in February, that we had to make against tax overoptimization “, confirmed Amélie de Montchalin. And added: “Tax fairness means that everyone contributes within their means. “

The minister even pointed out agreements with opposition parties like the tax on small packages or even the fight against it tax fraud.