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s France navigates economic and climatic challenges, the French Senate is making its mark on the 2025 budget. The Senate's amendments aim to revive a sluggish real estate market and promote environmental tax adjustments.

    To boost the real estate sector, the Senate has introduced measures allowing individuals to transfer up to €100,000 without taxation for property acquisition, renovation, or construction. This provision, limited to 2025 and 2026, is intended to unblock the stagnant market. However, the government had preferred a restriction on new housing to contain costs.

    The Senate has also extended zero-interest loans (PTZ) to both old and new homes, whereas the executive wanted to limit this advantage to new constructions. This move aims to increase access to housing and stimulate investment in an outdated property market.

    In parallel, environmental tax adjustments reveal an ambition to reduce ecological impacts by promoting certain agricultural practices. A 5-cent tax on non-recyclable products, including plastics and sanitary textiles, is expected to generate €500 million. The goal is to encourage a drastic reduction in the consumption of non-durable products.

    Agricultural operators will benefit from a tax credit for hedge maintenance, while environmental taxes have been temporarily suspended in overseas territories to encourage investments in modern waste management infrastructures. However, these revisions raise questions about their long-term financial viability and criticism about a "fiscal madness" likely to burden households and businesses.

    The Senate's decisions reflect a complex arbitration between economic recovery, environmental protection, and budgetary constraints. While the adopted measures promise to stimulate certain sectors, they also pave the way for a broader reflection on the role of taxation in ecological transition and social justice.