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French PM Barnier signals tax increases on the wealthy

The new prime minister said on Sunday that he would avoid broad tax hikes, opting instead for tax increases for high earners.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

French prime minister Michel Barnier on Sunday called for a "national effort" to cut the country's public-sector deficit, but ruled out across-the-board tax rises, reports FRANCE 24.

A day after President Emmanuel Macron appointed a new government, Barnier told the France 2 broadcaster that the government's financial situation was "very serious".

The situation required measures to rein in spending and raise income, he added - and high earners would have to "do their bit" to help France's finances recover.

But there would be no income-tax increases for "people with low incomes, or wage earners, or the middle-income class", he said.

Read more of this AFP report published by FRANCE 24.