France

Revised French carbon tax in force by July, says Sarkozy

Article published on the 2010-01-05 Latest update 2010-01-05 16:20 TU

French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on 5 January
(Photo: Reuters)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday that a revised version of the carbon tax would become law in July once a revamped bill was approved later this month, according to a government spokesperson.

Sarkozy said the revised bill would be presented to the cabinet for approval, following the rejection of the original proposal by the Constitutional Council last week.

They ruled that the tax had too many exemptions and would create inequality and place too much of the burden on a minority of consumers.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde told the French press on Tuesday that the carbon tax could be split into different brackets with different rates.