I am french, I lived in France my first 28 years, moved overseas (literally as far as one human can go : in the Pacific islands ) and have been working there for the past 4 years. I intend to move again early 2019 but hell no, i'm not moving back to France.
I am still obviously still in touch with France via my younger brother (that is being paid minimum wages) and my parents that are civil servant so just basically earning the median income or maybe a little less.
I call them twice a week and we talk about politic and how should France be if it was a perfect world.
All of the points below are always hot topics at xmas diner haha.
1. Housing for all homeless people
How do yo intend to do that ? what will prevent people to declare themselves homeless to have a home for free. Migration is free and easy in europe, what prevent europeans to come to france declare themselves homeless and claim a free house. if anything to do it you would have to increase taxes by 1000 factor!
2. A more progressive tax system
Agreed !
3. Minimum wage of 1,300€/month
Yes if you want, but it won't change much. It is a society issue. Give people 1000euros a month they don't save a penny, give them 1500 euros a month they still won't save a penny. people have to change the way they consume (spend money).
4. Measures to protect small businesses (stop building malls, no more “big box” stores), more parking spaces in downtowns
Well, i agree with this. Except that french people love to go to malls or to buy on amazon to pay LESS then the small shops in the city center.
5. Government program for insulating homes & other buildings
yes ok, but technically it will force homeowner to spend money, unless it is subsidized (= more tax)
6. Big businesses (McDonald’s, Google, Amazon...) should pay big taxes & small businesses pay small ones
I agree, buisnesses should pay taxes where they operate. Let's stop the bulsshit of tax optimisation with legal offshore parent/child company sucking the taxes from european countries (but not just European countries).
7. Same health insurance system for all (including self-employed)
Ok, let's do it. (it will increase taxes).
8. Keep retirement system the way it is now (working people pay the pensions of retirees)
This is not possible. The retirement systeme was created so old people would have a living minimun IF they didnt sorted themselve earlier. It was made after the war when most have lost everything. It has always been designed so working labour would commit some of their wages to pay for the older people. Not as an individualistic "I pay tax so i expect to have the same salary when i retire". If there is less people working, the "cake" is smaller and the retirement pension smaller. Same applies if people live longer and more are on the retirement pension.
9. No more increases on fuel taxes
Ok, but less tax = less money to spend on all the things you are demanding
10. No old age pensions below 1,200€/month
Refer point 8
11. All elected officials should earn French median income + reimbursement of travel costs if justified + meal tickets
Yes !!!! that would be great, it would not save much money, but at least they would understand what it means to live with a regular income and not like a king
12. All salaries & government benefits must be indexed on inflation
Yes !
13. Protect French industry, outlaw delocalizations
Well, this is hard to do, unless you want to pay your car twice the price or your white-ware or your TV ...
14. End the European system whereby workers from other European countries are paid the lower salaries and benefits of their respective countries rather than French wages and benefits
Unrealistic, do you level to the top or the bottom ? who pays for the extra wages ?
15. Job security. Larger businesses should be obliged to give more employees permanent contracts (CDI)
Yes, but also if an employee is at fault or not good they should be allowed to fire him. It is quite common that employee stay in the same company for 30 years or more overseas and they just have a 4 weeks notice.
16. Create a French industry of hydrogen powered automobiles
Yes lets do it. It would have to be private, unless yo uwant more taxes to be raised to pay for this brand new industry.
17. End the politics of austerity
Sure, but spendings would have to be reduced. For the past 40 years France has spent 103% of his GPD. to write is in easy way. If Frence's salary is 100$ then the government is spending 103$ .... how does it work ? it is still the case even though we are in an "austerity" period.
18. Better treatment for asylum seekers. Provide lodging, food, security & ...
Hell yes ! but again, where do you take the money from if you don't raise tax (we are already spending more money that we are earning/raising).
18. (cont.) ... education for minors. Work with the UN to build camps in many countries to hold asylum seekers until their papers are processed
yes, see previous point
19. Accompany those who are not granted asylum back to the countries they came from
ok
20. Create a program for integrating immigrants. Living in France entails becoming French (certificate program in French language, history, civics)
Yes !
21. Maximum salary fixed at 15,000€/month
Well, good luck with that. Salary or income ? it is not the same. And also, if you want someone talented to be a CEO or a top executive, why would work in France for just 15 000E when he can have 2,3 10 times this in Switzerland or in any other country.
22. Jobs for the unemployed
Yes sure, start your own business, and employ people you will see how easy it is. And if you refer to civil servant jobs. Well it means more tax to pay the salaries.
Uh-oh, missed one up thread 😩
Here’s the one I missed, should have been number 18:
18. Treat the causes that are forcing people to migrate.
That would have been great to develop what is the actual demand here.
24. Increase disability pensions
Yes, with which money ?
25. Rent control. More social housing and in particular housing for college students, contractors, gig economy workers, people without steady jobs
This is pure hypocrisy, most french people aspire to be able to buy a second home to rent it. And obviously to rent it as high as possible to yield a good return. But obviously if you are a renter you want to rents to be frozen and as low as possible. In France you can get a mortgage with a fixed rate (fixed for 20 years) at 1.6 to 2.1% there is no excuse to not pull your finger out of your ass, save and buy your own flat or house.
26. Outlaw the sale of French public property (dams, airports...)
i am not against, but again, privately operated it is more efficient.
27. Allocate much more money to the justice system, the police and the armed forces. Pay police officers overtime or allow them to take the corresponding hours off
Yes ! let's raise the taxes to do it !
28. The totality of sums collected at toll booths should go to maintaining the countries highways & roads...
yes !
28. (cont.) ... and to road security.
29. As the prices of natural gas & electricity have risen since these sectors were privatized, we demand the re-nationalization of these industries and the lowering of prices
Lol, and subsidized it with tax money.
30. An immediate end to the closings of smaller train lines,...
If a train line is not profitable, why keeping it ? it is basically wasting tax money on something not profitable
30. (cont.) ... post offices, schools and maternity wards
Same as above
31. Well-being for our elderly. Outlaw for-profit elderly care. The time of “gray gold” has come to an end
I agree, retirement village / retirement home should be cheaper.
32. A maximum of 25 students per class from nursery school through high school
Sure, let's increase the taxes to do it !
33. More public financing of psychiatry
yes, but again, more healthcare spending = more taxes, we are al;ready spending more than collecting
34. Write a popular referendum system into the Constitution. Create an on-line referendum site where citizens can propose new laws, overseen by an independent body. If a proposition receives over 700,000 votes it should be introduced...
(cont.) into Congress, accordingly completed, amended and discussed before all citizens are allowed to vote on it (within exactly one year of obtaining the 700,000 signatures)
YES !!!
35. Return to a presidential mandate of 7 years (currently it’s 5) with interim elections of reps
OK
36. Retirement for all at 60 years old and at 55 for people in professions that are hard on the body (construction work...)
See point 8 above
37. Extension of public aid to parents paying for daycare for children up until 10 years of age
With tax money, let's increase the taxes to do it !
38. Incentivize transportation of merchandise by rail
Yes !
39. No withholding of income tax
ok but it means less spendable money for the government = less funding for research, police, university, health...
40. Presidents should no longer receive a salary for life
HELL YES !!!!
41. Outlaw the tax paid by shopkeepers each time a client pays by credit or debit card
Ok, but it is unlikely that Visa or mastercard wil accept
42. Tax kerosene, air and maritime fuels
Yes, this will increase the cost of flying on holiday, hence limiting low income people to have a holiday overseas