On Monday, François Bayrou urged for a targeted increase in taxes to be discussed by the government and parliamentarians. However, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire rejected this proposal. Bayrou emphasized the need for the government and parliament to have an open discussion about this issue, particularly with the expected announcement from INSEE that the public deficit in 2023 would be significantly higher than initially forecasted.
When asked about remarks made by Yaël Braun-Pivet regarding taxing companies with “super profits” or “super dividends,” Bayrou pointed out that his MoDem party had been advocating for similar measures in previous budgetary years. He argued that any rebalancing measures should focus on those with the most means and emphasized the need to target those who had been most affected by the crisis.
In addition to discussing tax increases, Bayrou also expressed his opposition to a new reform of unemployment insurance that aimed to reduce the duration of compensation. He argued that unemployed individuals should not be blamed for unemployment, especially given that many of them had lost work skills over time. Instead, he suggested that reforms should focus on addressing the root causes of unemployment.
Overall, Bayrou’s statements highlighted the importance of fair and targeted measures to address economic challenges facing France while also considering their impact on individuals and businesses. He encouraged open dialogue and collaboration between government officials and legislators to find effective solutions to these complex issues.
