French government reconsiders wealth tax as protests intensify

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

French government reconsiders wealth tax as protests intensify

Solidarity tax on wealth may be reimposed amid widening gilets jaunes movement

Kim Willsher in Paris
Wed 5 Dec 2018 11.38 GMT

The French government will consider reintroducing taxes on the most wealthy in what is seen as a further measure to appease the gilets jaunes protesters threatening to destabilise Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.

Lifting part of the impôt de solidarité sur la fortune (ISF, solidarity tax on wealth) was a pillar of Macron’s election campaign and one of the first fiscal measures he implemented on taking power in May 2017, leading to his nickname “president of the rich”.

On Wednesday, as gilets jaunes (yellow vests) vowed to continue protests that have seen parts of Paris in flames and violent clashes with police, the government’s spokesman Benjamin Griveaux admitted ISF could be reimposed.

“If the measure we have taken doesn’t work, we’re not idiots, we’ll change it. But first we will have to evaluate it,” Griveaux told RTL radio, adding that the evaluation would happen next year.

Reintroducing the wealth tax has been one of the demands of parts of the gilets jaunes movement that grew out of anger at rising taxes on petrol and diesel.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/05/france-wealth-tax-changes-gilets-jaunes-protests-president-macron

[Fullduplexxx]

1. We need a wealth tax here to tackle the debt

[KPN]

2. Perhaps we need a gilets jaunes movement.