The Trésor public (English: Public treasury) is the national administration of the Treasury in France. It is headed by the general directorate of public finances (Direction générale des finances publiques) in the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry.
The Trésor Public is responsible for:
the accountancy of the state;
the control and help in the accountancy of public administrations and local governments;
the perception of direct taxes such as the income tax (the computation of those taxes is vested in a separate administration).
History
Its origins can be traced back to King of France Philip Augustus (reigned from 1880 to 1223), who transformed France into the most prosperous and powerful country in Europe. His actions brought financial stability to his country. However, the modern Treasury came into being under the leadership of superintendents of finance such as Colbert, and above all with Count Mollien in the 19th century. It accompanied and embodied the emergence of the modern bureaucratic state.
From January 1806 to 1814, under Emperor Napoleon, Mollien was Minister of the Treasury (succeeding Barbé-Marbois after the bankruptcy of the Négociants réunis) and the Napoleon's principal financial adviser. Carrying out his duties conscientiously and competently, he attempted to bring order to the increasingly complicated imperial finances, and set up the Caisse de service, responsible for overseeing the movement of funds.
Until the 2012 reform, the Treasury was headed in each department by the Treasurer-Paymaster General (Trésorier-Payeur Général), a high-ranking official. In Paris, the function used to be divided into the Paymaster General of the Treasury (Payeur Général du Trésor), and the Receiver General of the Finances (Receveur Général des Finances). Each region had its own Treasurer-Paymaster General, the one for the département of the régionpréfecture. However, following the 2012 reform,[1] the system has been greatly simplified, and relevant administrations for taxes (Direction générale des impôts) and public accounts (Direction générale de la comptabilité publique) were merged into the general directorate of public finances (Direction générale de finances publiques). During this process, redundant fiscal and financial functions were consolidated into a single departamental or regional director for public finances (Directeur département ou régional des finances publiques).
The Trésor also runs a certificate authority. In December 2013 it was revealed that it issued fake certificates impersonating Google in order to facilitate spying on French government employees via man-in-the-middle attacks.[2]
The Trésor public is different from the Direction générale du Trésor (or French Treasury), which is the administration in charge of French State's debt and cash management (through the Agence France Trésor), and contributes to financial sector and economy financing regulation, economic policy and international economic and financial negotiations.[3][4]
^John Zysman -Governments, Markets, and Growth 1983 0801492521
As one senior French businessman who began his career at the Tresor remarked: You live with a profound belief that France is the center of the world, that Paris is the center of France, and that the Tresor is the center of Paris. . . . The Tresor's influence and prestige extend into every part of France. It represents the State inside the three largest banks: Credit Lyonnais, Banque Nationale de Paris, and Societe Generale. It also has a viselike grip on the finances of the French public sector ...
^William G. Andrews, Stanley Hoffmann - Fifth Republic at Twenty, The 0791494950- 1980 Page 257 As the bureaucratic agent and voice of the minister of finance, its influence and authority rest on the desire and ability of the minister of finance to exercise its power. The Trésor manages the finances of the central government, but that power enables it to manipulate the economy as well. Government departments account for a substantial portion of total investment and the Trésor exerts power over public investment." Moreover, the Trésor is a financial intermediary intervening in the ...
