BUSINESS OF HIKES

FUEL TAX HIKE ABANDONED

FRENCH Finance Minister Bruno le Maire yesterday confirmed that planned fuel tax hikes for 2019 had been abandoned and not just postponed, but roadblocks continued around France. “There will not be any new taxes on fuel in 2019 and I think that is a major calming gesture,” Le Maire said on France 2 television. The government had initially said the tax hikes had been suspended for the first half of 2019, before indicating on Wednesday they had been cancelled. So-called “Yellow Vests” interviewed at roadblocks said the protests would go on because the government hadn’t met their other demands. Paris police are being reinforced before a planned protest in the French capital tomorrow to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s violence. I Bloomberg