Charles Ange Ginésy and Éric Ciotti presented the administrative account for the Alpes-Maritimes for the year 2018. On the agenda were debt reduction, investment, and tax reduction.
“The accounts are in the green!“, rejoiced Charles Ange Ginésy. According to the financial indicators of the departmental council, the overall balance of the administrative account for the year 2018 is positive. More specifically, the analysis of controlled operating expenses, the increase in savings, the rise in investments, and the analysis of the debt reduction policy indicate management that promises a tax decrease in 2019.
A debt reduction policy
Over four years, the department’s debt has decreased by 16.7 million euros, bringing debt reduction to 106.7 million euros. The debt reduction capacity is brought down to 4.7 years. A positive ratio as it is below the alert threshold set at 10 years by the State for all departments.
Increasing savings
The good management of operating expenses reflects an improvement in savings. This improvement is primarily driven by gross savings which amount to 168.7 million euros in 2018 compared to 133 million euros in 2017. In addition, net savings amounted to 102 million euros in 2018 compared to 68.3 million euros in 2017, an increase of nearly 50%.
While the State has reduced its endowments by nearly 90 million euros to the department of Alpes-Maritimes, good account management in 2018 allows measures to be implemented for 2019, namely:
- Reduce taxes in 2019: The Departmental Assembly has decided to vote for a 5% tax reduction on the Property Tax on Built Properties.
- Maintain a high level of investment: in 2017, investments amounted to 155 million euros compared to 164 million euros in 2018. A budget aimed at territorial investment.
Finally, the issues of the digital revolution and climate change are on the agenda with significant investments in both domains, whether through Artificial Intelligence and the launch of the Green Deal plan. The department’s actions for sustainable development have generated investments of about 8.4 million euros in 2018. Meanwhile, the digital transition is “a priority” for Charles Ange Ginésy, who announced the creation of the House of Artificial Intelligence in Sophia Antipolis, in 2019.
