The government wants to overhaul the organization of the tax administration

Paris – "Simplifying" tax collection and relocating Bercy's services to the regions: the government laid the groundwork for a major reorganization of the tax administration on Wednesday, without specifying at this stage the impact that this restructuring will have on employment.
  

" Bercy is not a citadel but a control tower at the service of all the French ," said Minister of Action and Public Accounts Gerald Darmanin, detailing the major lines of this reform during a meeting in Bercy with 600 executives of his administration.

This reorganization, which will have to be " finalized for 2022 ", is " one of the essential answers to be given to our fellow citizens " vis-à-vis " the crisis of confidence of the populations living in neglected territories ", added the minister.

First objective: to review the implementation of the tax administration. It requires a " movement of decentralization of proximity of a part of the services of the Ile-de-France to the regions, and metropolises to rural or peri-urban areas ," said Mr. Darmanin.

This reorganization, which will be based on proposals from the General Directorate of Public Finance (DGFIP), will " significant economies of scale on real estate ", the prices being lower outside major cities, he said.

Second objective: to simplify tax collection by progressively unifying tax collection. It is " necessary to restore to the DGFIP the recovery of most of the State's tax system, and that Customs retains only the proper customs tax ," said the Minister.

Three entities in France are responsible for tax collection: the DGFIP, the Urssaf – which deals with social security contributions – and the Customs, responsible for the control and taxation of goods at their entry on the territory, in particular alcohol and tobacco.

But this organization is regularly criticized, particularly by the Court of Auditors, because of its complexity. " In this mandate, we will have to bring about a rapprochement " by creating " a single agency of recovery ," warned Mr. Darmanin.

" Will DGFIP and Customs Facilitate Such Rapid and Unprecedented Reforms: Will Customs Have The Ways to Face Brexit? ", s' is worried the CFDT Finance in a statement.

– " Many uncertainties " –

And beyond, what will be the impact of this reorganization in terms of jobs? Gérald Darmanin has not provided numerical precision, much to the chagrin of the unions, who have been worried for several months about a vast plan for job cuts in the services of Bercy.

" Let's take things in the right order, first the missions, then the means and the numbers ", justified the minister, recognizing nevertheless that " it would be illusory to believe that (these transformations) will not be accompanied by a decline in public employment ".

The orders of magnitude will be " specified " in the Finance Bill for 2019 at the end of September.

According to Les Échos, up to 20,000 jobs could be eliminated during the five-year period in Bercy. A figure that the minister described as " not fair ".

" There are still many uncertainties ," regretted Philippe Grbadet, secretary general of Force Ouvrière Finances. " The principal has not yet been announced, namely the consequences in terms of numbers ," he told AFP.

" We have the impression that the minister does not want to say anything that can annoy, even if these words involve a series of major changes ", abounded Olivier Vadebout, CGT Public finances.

The DGFIP is the second largest civil administration in the state with 103,000 agents and a budget of eight billion euros. It has suffered for 10 years nearly 20,000 job cuts, imposing by far as the main contributor to the decline of the workforce of the State.

" Yes, we have to be in the territories, but I think that at the practical level (…) we may not meet " with the minister, warned Anne Guyot-Welke, of Solidaires finances public, also worries about an outsourcing of the collection of small amounts of cash currently recovered by the Public Treasury.

" It will be less workload " but " Is it normal that it is the Post Office or a tobacconist who collects public debts? ", she asked herself.