France: Creates its own “Household Basket” to empower consumers

Its finance minister of FranceBruno Le Maire, claimed in an interview that his ministry staff is working on the creation of a “Household Basket” a la… French and which will include 20 products necessities and which will be offered at low prices.

According to the French media, it is one of the measures being considered by the Ministry of Finance to combat the inflationary crisis in the country.

“The basic idea is that we should all contribute to the fight against inflation. The state cannot pay for everything. It is a “burden” that we should share. The same happened with energy prices. We said 280 euros per megawatt hour for all small businesses, the state will take over one part, and the suppliers another”, said the minister speaking to the television network BFMTV. He went on to say: “Equality means we all share the burden of inflation.”

The basket will consist of 20 basic necessities, food and personal hygiene products, with suppliers ensuring the lowest possible prices for these products to compensate for inflation. The minister argued that the high prices of food products could last for months.

Asked why this solution is preferred in relation to the abolition of VAT, the Minister emphasized that the ultimate goal is to benefit the final consumer. “Who guarantees me that if I abolish the VAT, the difference will not go into the pockets of the suppliers?”asked Mr. Le Mer.

The French government emphasizes that the measure in question is at the stage of negotiations and maintains that its implementation will depend on the suppliers’ commitments.

The Greek Minister of Development and Investments also posted on Twitter on the subject, Adonis Georgiades. “Household basket à la French: the French Ministry of Finance confirms that they are studying the creation of a household basket, with 20 initial products (food, etc.) for which the large chains will commit to keeping prices at the lowest possible level,” he wrote characteristically.