French Prime Minister Michel Barnier announced on Thursday, 28 November 2024, that he will be abandoning plans to raise electricity taxes in his 2025 budget, responding to threats from the far-right National Rally (RN).

Barnier had aimed to raise EUR 3 billion (USD 3.17 billion) through the tax increase to help fix France’s public finances, but faced strong opposition from both the left and right.

“The National Rally has just won a victory by obtaining from Michel Barnier the cancellation of the EUR 3 billion tax on electricity,” RN party President Jordan Bardella wrote on X. “But we cannot stop there. Other red lines remain.”