French prime minister calls for tax cuts

FRENCH Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that after three months of public debate it was clear tax cuts must be speeded up to quell the widespread anger over high living costs that has fuelled anti-government protests.

In an act of political theatre yesterday, Philippe was presenting the findings from 2 million online contributions and 10000 hours of town hall debates that President Emmanuel Macron must now digest and respond to with policy moves.

Four broad needs emerged, the prime minister said: renewing ties between Paris and the regions, making the political process more relevant for citizens, responding better to climate change, and easing the tax burden.

“The debate clearly shows us in which direction we need to go: we need to lower taxes and lower them faster,” Philippe said in a speech in the Grand Palace in Paris.

Planned increases to a fuel tax prompted five months of “yellow vest” protests nationwide and the worst rioting Paris has witnessed since the 1968 student uprising, though the