TNTV: The reduction in notary fees was announced. We would go from 11 to 7%, including first time buyers who currently benefit from a lower rate. The same goes for off-plan sales. In return, what are you planning?
Warren Dexter, Minister for the Economy, Budget and Finance, who is in charge of energy: « For now, we are not touching the reduced rate for first time buyers. Provision was made for this in the country’s first bill but, at the request of the Ministry of Housing, we postponed this step until 2025, as it needs to be accompanied by a change to the AIM (Aid for housing investment) it is a direct subsidy to the families who need it most. And also with the famous zero rate loan that we have to apply in 2025, in collaboration with the banks ».

TNTV: The interest-free loan system already exists in New Caledonia. It is a real estate loan and the interest is paid by New Caledonia. To implement it here too, are there brakes? What are they?
WD: « I was not directly involved in the file, but the aim was to implement this system at the end of the year. Apparently, things are still not well settled with the banks. So the project is postponed until mid 2025. We will put it in the 2025 administrative session. »

TNTV: You just talked about housing investment support, which you plan to provide. Is this system really reaching the target audience? Are the administrative procedures for eligibility accessible to everyone?
WD: « Currently, I believe AIM is targeting families earning 4 times the minimum wage. I do not know what the objectives of the Ministry of Housing are. Will it be expanded to numbers that would go up to 5 SMIG? (…) After that, regarding the problems in compiling the files, I would like to remind you that support is still provided by the DGAE (General Director of Economic Affairs) (…) We cannot make the administrative forms too simple.. »

TNTV: There are two ways to deal with home loans. On the one hand by reducing construction costs, but also by working on interest rates. We were talking about the zero interest rate loan, the interest that weighs on the final cost (buying real estate, editor’s note). How could the country bear this cost?
WD: « Ideally, this will involve reducing the tax on net banking income for banks, the tax specific to banks. And in return for this tax benefit, they take away the income that is interest rates. »

TNTV: Real estate prices are exorbitant in French Polynesia, given the scarcity of land available for sale. You are thinking about how to get a territorial or municipal land to eliminate the impact of this cost. Is this clearer today?
WD: « Yes, it is under consideration. We need to ask ourselves the right questions about land scarcity. I think this is above all due to decisions made from government to government to focus Polynesians even more on the island of Tahiti, to attract activities to the island of Tahiti. All this creates a shortage and high cost of land. Perhaps the right questions to ask are how we can reset populations and activities throughout the entire French Polynesia region.. »

TNTV: Are areas already identified?
WD: « For now, no. But one of the issues we are working on with the ministry in charge of the islands is to apply real incentive measures for investment and decentralization of administration.. »

TNTV: How could we accelerate the exit from joint ownership?
WD: « Leaving joint property is a rather delicate subject because sometimes we say that it is a good thing, that families need legal security, sometimes we are told that joint property is always made possible without selling the land. The other option we are working on, which has already been confirmed by the old government, is the so-called trust. That is to say, allowing co-owners to entrust the land to a third party who will manage it and provide them with income from time to time. A draft text has been put in place by the previous government. The Ministry of Housing wants to perfect this text because they believe that it has not been modified enough according to the Polynesian specifications as it is.. »

TNTV: It is a solution that goes against the grain of individual property. Is it more suitable for Polynesians?
WD: « I think it is more suitable for Polynesians in the sense that there will be no sale of land under any circumstances. It is land management for the benefit of Polynesians. »

TNTV: We talk a lot about land and heritage. It is a term that appears a lot in your reform of the self-employed system and the Minister of Health. This raises a lot of questions, especially among leaders. We still need to define and specify. Is your goal clearly to tax more wealth?
WD: « It depends on what we are talking about. If we talk about the reform of social systems, I will leave the answer to my colleague Cédric Mercadal. At my level, I say of course, in my tax reform, if we want to reduce the cost of living in Polynesia, we must reduce indirect taxes that represent 70% of the country’s total income. And, in return, since we always need money to finance public activities, to raise taxes on assets. »

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TNTV: Bosses regret abolition of social VAT which made so much noise at the time. Would you like to heal it too?
WD: « I do not understand this recurring desire of our friends in the employers (…). Today, we are in a comfortable budget position and we have no need to bring back taxes to finance social protection systems. In addition, they propose to bring back the social tax. I would like to remind you that there is currently a strong commitment from the majority to remove this tax. So, definitely not under these conditions we are going to send it back. If we have to put another tax back in absolute terms to finance the new needs of social protection systems, I think it will certainly not be spent, which is unfair, because the rich and the poor pay the same. ».

TNTV: Do you think that social VAT was finally accepted by the general public before it was abolished?
WD: « I was not in business. I want to believe that, because there is not so much noise around. On the other hand, we can say that if the elimination did not have the expected price reduction effect, it is simply because the companies were not associated with this elimination. He is a little surprised ».

TNTV: Regarding the The future CEO of Air Moana, Lionel Guérin, a big name in aviation : he was deputy general director of the Air France-KLM group and should take control of the young company. You met him. Is this the man for the job today?
WD: « Everything suggests that he is the man for the job. Anyway, he has a pedigree that speaks for him. He is an experienced person in the field of aeronautics. This gives us more confidence about the billion that we offered to the company to help it get out of its problems, because among the conditions that we actually set is that the shareholders will receive the 3 billion is left from the 4 billion that the company needs. work. But in addition, we asked to change management, that is to say to find real “people of knowledge” in the field of aviation. And I think that Mr. Guérin meets this profile ».