Holiday vouchers for retired civil servants: "It's going to be cut," says Charles Consigny angrily.

A little extra cash is always welcome to enjoy the summer. Civil service retirees can benefit from holiday vouchers . This gift benefited 38,000 retirees in 2023. That same year, the Ministry of Civil Service decided to end this benefit for retirees, hoping to save €6 to €9 million (or €157 per beneficiary).

But on June 14, the Council of State annulled a circular from the Ministry of Civil Service abolishing the payment of this aid and de facto reinstating the granting of holiday vouchers to retired civil servants.

An advantage that doesn't surprise lawyer Charles Consigny: "In France, you can even take time off from your unemployment benefit; it's provided for by French law. You can take a break and go on vacation with your benefits," he recalls. "It's one of the things that needs to be cut," adds the lawyer, referring to Argentinian President Javier Millei .

The Council of State considers the 2023 decision illegal because it was taken without prior consultation with the Interministerial Committee and announced by a simple email to the same committee, explains Le Figaro .

"The government can override the Council of State with a law," suggests Charles Consigny, adding that "pensions are long in the public sector, and if we pay people 50 years of vacation time, we won't be reducing compulsory deductions any time soon."

"When you open the lid on public spending, it's shocking," activist entrepreneur Flora Ghebali adds on RMC and RMC Story . "There's also the case of professional expenses for retirees, even though they're on vacation all year round and don't have professional expenses," she adds, arguing in favor of eliminating all these tax loopholes.

"It's a question of political will, and I think the abolition of these holiday vouchers would be popular," says Charles Consigny.

Not all retirees and civil servants are eligible for these holiday vouchers. This is what Arnaud, a vocational high school teacher, explains: "I did the simulation, and with a wife and child, I'm not eligible. Everything's fine in the best of all possible worlds," he says ironically, calling for the abolition of these holiday vouchers for retirees.