Le Figaro Nantes
Storm warning on the Loire-Atlantique coast.
The current turmoil has nothing to do with the mild weather at the start of the year.
They stem from a political decision, which dates back to December 16th.
That day, the members of the National Assembly voted for an amendment aimed at taking into account second homes in the calculation of the tax paid to the 13 municipalities impacted by the wind farm off Saint-Nazaire.
A text that modifies the payment mechanism of the 8.93 million euros in subsidies per year provided for this purpose.
Originally, it was to be based on population figures established by INSEE.
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As a result of this change, municipalities with a high proportion of secondary residents see their subsidies increase to the detriment of other localities.
Example: in La Baule, the tax paid should increase by 20% (ie a gain of 87,200 euros per year) while it should drop by 20% in Saint-Nazaire (ie a loss of 242,000 euros per year).
What annoy, David Samzun, the PS mayor of this town.
"A bounty for the rich"
Denouncing an amendment voted
“on the sly”
, the city councilor judges this text
“scandalous”.
Taking for example the impacts suffered by his city during the construction site - the closure of a beach for 16 months for the passage of cables, broken roads and sidewalks, nuisances for the inhabitants - he regrets that his industrial city and counting nearly 29% of social housing is prejudiced in favor of seaside resorts.
He denounces a
“bonus for the rich”
and an
“encouragement”
for the construction of second homes.
Very upset, he does not mince his words and puts the subject back on the political level.
He thus denounces
“an arrangement between friends who have a common political interest”
.
In her viewfinder, Sandrine Josso, the Modem deputy from the Guérande peninsula, who carried the parliamentary proposal:
“Since the vote on the amendment, I have had no contact with her.
It is total silence.
In politics, the least you can do is to assume.”
Another name advanced: that of Franck Louvrier, the LR mayor of La Baule who expressed his desires for a rapprochement of his party with the Macronist camp.
A letter to Emmanuel Macron
The latter does not deny his intervention on the subject.
On the contrary, he assumes it and says he is
“very happy”
that his request has been heard:
“I had made the President of the Republic aware of the unfair distribution of the tax for small municipalities during his presence at the
inauguration of the wind farm
[September 22, Ed).
It was unfair that secondary residents, who also pay taxes and sometimes represent more than half of the population of certain municipalities, were not taken into account.”
A point of view reiterated in a letter addressed to Emmanuel Macron on September 26 that
Le Figaro
was able to consult.
“I explained that it was necessary to better take into account the criterion of visual pollution for the main but also secondary residents”
, he confirms.
The mayor of La Baule points out that in this letter, signed by eight other city councilors, including that of Saint-Nazaire - whose
current anger he says he
"understands" - a second element was mentioned:
"We explicitly asked that this city not be penalized by the new method of calculation and that its compensation be maintained.”
Read alsoLoire-Atlantique: which are the least and most expensive municipalities to rent accommodation?
On this point, it seems not to have been heard.
“The fight is not over.
It is normal for the mayor of Saint-Nazaire to feel aggrieved.
We will continue to bring the subject”
, he advances while acknowledging that the negotiations with the State and EDF promise to be
“difficult”
.
A distance criterion with wind turbines
In the municipalities of Batz-sur-Mer and Pouliguen, among the most visually impacted by the field of wind turbines at sea, the mayors are themselves
"satisfied"
with the voted amendment.
Recalling that there was no desire to penalize Saint-Nazaire, they especially want the overall envelope of subsidies to be increased since originally planned for nine municipalities, it must now be shared between thirteen localities.
Another point motivates them: the establishment of an additional criterion for the allocation of subsidies based on the distance from the wind turbines.
"It's a matter of principle. The municipalities that suffer the most visual damage must be better compensated
, ”claims Marie-Catherine Lehuédé, the mayor of Batz-sur-Mer, who recalls that all the wind turbines, 80 in total, are visible from the front. sea of his municipality.
She describes the new seascape as follows:
“At night, it feels like there is a factory in front.
There are white and red flashing lights everywhere.
With the new amendment, his municipality will see its subsidy increased by 16,000 euros per year.
Too little for his taste.
It therefore hopes for a further modification of the text.
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An observation shared by Norbert Samama, the mayor of Pouliguen.
If he finds it
"normal"
that second homes are taken into account in the calculation of subsidies, he also wants
the "visual impact"
to be better compensated.
For him, a
“fundamental point”
should not be forgotten in this file:
“We are precursors.
The way in which it will be treated will be an example for the future municipalities affected
.
He also wishes to qualify the discourse according to which the rich municipalities would be favored.
“In our territories, the price of land is exploding.
We certainly have a high fiscal potential but a low action potential”
, citing the recent purchase of bare land of 900m2 in his town for the sum of 1.2 million euros while the annual expenditure budget of his locality is 2.4 million per year.
Legal battle in sight?
On the legislative level, the amendment voted by the National Assembly has not yet been ratified.
It must still be validated by a joint joint committee of seven deputies and senators who can also decide to modify it.
For now, no specific date has been set.
According to information collected by
Le Figaro
, the commission could meet on January 23 or 24.
Among its ranks will be Laurence Garnier, Senator LR from Loire-Atlantique.
If she finds
“intelligent”
the addition of secondary residences in the method of calculating the compensation tax, she is also in favor of the latter being
“revised upwards”
and including a distance criterion.
"We must send positive signals in this direction as a guarantee of the acceptability of the nuisances for future projects"
, she proclaims.
David Samzun, the mayor of Saint-Nazaire, will be very attentive to the decision that will emerge from this commission.
He will not give up the fight:
“Saint-Nazaire is not an adjustment variable.
The State manages as it wants but it must correct its error.
The city should not be sanctioned up to 20% of the promised subsidies.”
Faced with what he considers to be a
"serious injustice"
, he promises to engage
"all necessary means"
and in particular that of bringing the case before the Council of State.
