France eyes lower 2016 public deficit than forecast
French finance minister Michel Sapin said he was 'not ruling out' a lower public deficit than the 3.3% of gross domestic product target he has confirmed will be reached at the least.
FranceFrance could do better than its stated 2016 public deficit target of 3.3 percent of gross domestic product, the country's finance minister Michel Sapin told business newspaper Les Echos, reports Reuters.
"I would like first of all to confirm our goal for 3.3 percent, even though some people say we won't reach that target. But I am not ruling out that we could do better," Sapin said in an interview due to be published in Monday's edition.
Sapin also said he was favourable toward a financial transaction tax but only if it were implemented throughout Europe, and outlined plans for tax breaks on foreign companies' French subsidiaries.
In September, Sapin said he expected a public deficit of 2.7 percent in 2017, unchanged from previous estimates.
