For a few weeks now, many Parisian mayors have been called out one after the other regarding their expense reports — a special shoutout to the mayor of the 8th, who openly thanks taxpayers for allowing her to be on the cutting edge of fashion — Anne Hidalgo hasn’t exactly shone when it comes to discretion and money management. In fact, while trying to defend her spending, the mayor of Paris issued a challenge to Rachida Dati that leaves most capital residents speechless: living in the City of Light on €4,900 a month…
Controversial Expenses
Just a reminder, in recent days, Anne Hidalgo, like other Parisian officials, has found herself in the spotlight needing to justify her personal expenses, most of which went through unnoticed.
in expense reports. According to scrutinized accounts by Médiapart, the mayor of Paris has spent no less than 210,000 euros on expense reports over four years. That’s quite a staggering amount, and some are criticizing her for using it to buy dresses from Dior worth multiple minimum wage salaries, or even taking a trip to Tahiti to visit family nearby.🗣️ Anne Hidalgo :
— Bleu Blanc Rouge ! 🇫🇷 (@LBleuBlancRouge) October 8, 2025
« Je vous mets au défi de vivre avec l’indemnité de 4 900€ net après impôts. »
PARDON ??? MAIS ELLE EST SÉRIEUSE ELLE ? 🙄😤😤
Ces gens sont vraiment sur une autre planète. Hallucinant ! pic.twitter.com/bt9zrvDvbL
A Lunar Challenge
To defend herself, Anne Hidalgo didn't hesitate to point out the irregularities in the accounts of the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who has notably been accused of corruption in the Carlos Ghosn case. According to the mayor, these expense reports are primarily a way to ensure the integrity of elected officials and prevent them from seeking income from private interests. To top off her jab, she then challenged the minister: « I dare you, Ms. Dati, given your declared income, to live on the net allowance of 4,900 euros after taxes of the Mayor of Paris. »
Bonjour Anne Hidalgo j'accepte votre défi de vivre avec 4900 euros par mois. Merci de me filer la thune.
— Sauvons Paris 12ème 🇫🇷 🇬🇧🇮🇪🇮🇱🇩🇪 (@Sauvonsparis12) October 9, 2025
And that's where it stings. Because while this amount may not seem very high to the two politicians, for the majority of French people, it actually represents a colossal sum. As many internet users have pointed out, right now, one in two French people lives on less than 1,800€ a month, and the average salary in the capital is only 4,300€. In any case, we’re ready to take on this challenge, and we’d do it twice if we could!