Raising taxes on the poor while giving a massive tax cut for the wealthy is a recipe for revolt.
Just ask France, now in its fourth week of massive uprisings.
Like an American Republican, French President Emmanuel Macron believed wealthy industrialists would plow their tax-cut savings into the workforce, creating new jobs and raising wages. That that has yet to materialize is no surprise to the middle class (or to us Kansans.)
To add insult to injury, Macron last month announced a raise in the green tax on diesel to address climate change. The funds go to the creation of renewable energy.
Though the plan has merit at least theyre willing to recognize and act on climate change those most affected are the increasingly marginalized middle-class who largely depend on private transportation as part of their daily lives.
While likely concerned about global warming, their priorities are more quotidian, such as putting food on the table and clothes on their backs.
When the protests migrated from the rural provinces to the cities, not only did their numbers swell, but also their violent tenor, which should be universally condemned.
A symbol of the marchers is a reflective yellow vest, required of all French motorists in case of an emergency. With short notice via social media, hundreds of thousands of yellow-vested protestors were rioting in Frances major cities, smashing windows and setting fire to overturned cars. In Paris, the Arc de Triomphe and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were sprayed with graffiti. Vandalized buildings were looted.
As the movement grew, so did the register of complaints, including the slipping status of the middle class and how government benefits are increasingly out of reach. Protestors are demanding the minimum wage be raised, the fuel tax be abolished, and for Mr. Macron, who has been roundly criticized for possessing an aloof attitude, to step down.
On Tuesday, however, Macron appeared contrite in a national address, acknowledging the unpopularity of his policies and their seeming callousness.
In conciliation, Macron agreed to cancel the diesel tax, limit an increase on social security taxes to only those living above a certain means; raise the minimum wage and cut taxes for the poor and middle class.
Which makes an American think, where can I get me one of those yellow vests?
Susan Lynn
