In the first part of the government’s roadmap to fight against all public finance fraud, Gabriel Attal, Minister of Public Accounts, announced a series of measures in a press release, published this Tuesday, May 9. Initiated by the executive, this action plan aims to tighten the screws against fraud, which is so frequent. The government wishes, on this occasion, to strengthen controls and sanctions against the ultra-rich, while sparing the middle classes. What is it really ?

The main objective displayed in this press release mainly concerns large estates: “to make the ultra-rich and the multinationals who defraud pay what they owe”, in the words of Gabriel Attal for Le Monde. The recruitment of additional staff is also an issue in order to fight against fraud by the ultra-rich.

The other ambition displayed by the government is to “relieve the pressure” on the middle classes, hence this tax pressure on the wealthiest. The Minister therefore unveiled the introduction of “an automatic penalty waiver for the first error”.

“Each fraud is serious, but that of the most powerful is unforgivable. My philosophy is to concentrate efforts on them and to ease the pressure on the middle classes. (…) Today, 80% of the righted rights are the fact of 10% to 15% of files. From a certain level, we must be more controlled, “explains Gabriel Attal.

This relief measure in favor of the middle classes is the first lever in a series of measures aimed at reducing taxes, by the end of Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term, in 2027.