The situation of yellow vests today
1) Fed up with the tax rate in general (fuel prices, taxes and payroll taxes). Is this justified? According to the figures, YES.
“The average French employee recovers two days of purchasing power in 2018 while remaining the most taxed in the European Union (EU). He works until July 27 to cover public expenses. This is two days less than last year and 45 days more than the EU average,” reports the Tribune before the movement of the yellow vests.
“The average French employee is in theory among the best paid with 56,815 euros (6th place in the EU), but he is so taxed (56.73% of charges and taxes on his full salary, 1st place in the EU), that he only has 24,582 euros left in real purchasing power (11th place in the EU).” Contrpoints is ironic: “Thanks to taxes, France is getting poorer without concern”
Is the public service up to this tax rate, NO. “More than 1000 billion every year… If, in the face of these punishments, we observed a profusion of gleaming infrastructures, an irreproachable quality of education, impeccable healthcare institutions, administrations on the cutting edge to provide a service to taxpayers, we could admit this incredible bill,” says Counterpoints. “Knowing that at the same time, the country’s debt is growing, where the hell is the money going?”
2) Fed up with the tolls. Is this justified? YES
The private companies that built the motorways have been reimbursed for their costs and received a margin since 2005, called “The historical error of privatisation” says Obs. Why did Chirac and Villepin renew their contract instead of leaving the free highways as was imagined from the beginning? In addition, repairs and maintenance are not done properly. “Sometimes they do the renovations after five years instead of four, sometimes they use slightly cheaper materials without it being too obvious” according to the court of accounts (L’Obs).
Yellow vests are perfectly legitimate when they allow vehicles to pass free of charge on the highway and it is a real scandal that there are laws against it that put certain people in prison and force police officers to use violence they do not want. Extortion, theft against the will of people, that’s what it is.
3) Fed up with supermarkets. Is this justified? YES.
Quality continues to deteriorate and prices rise for the benefit of shareholders. Food is a basic need; the law specifies that it is a service of general interest. People have to eat. Why entrust this to people who are too greedy and not very caring!
4) Will the movement be recovered by the neo-Nazis? Maybe.
The question is why we are talking about it when it is not currently the case. These premonitions encourage neo-Nazis to join the movement; just as Trump encouraged anti-democratic violence during and after the mid-Term by announcing them in a premonitory manner. French elites try to scare people who are justified in joining the yellow vests but do not wish to receive violence and/or infamy in return.
Why are some people trying to scare the yellow vests?
We can only hope that this group remains democratic, non-violent despite the violence of laws and premonitions. If they fail to manage in te good direction, without a leader and without violence, France would suffer terribly. Let us hope that this movement will allow France to find its way back to more democracy.
Press freedom is also in danger. “Better yet: the same journalists, largely invested with the sacred mission of defending taxes and the famous consent to taxes, seeing moreover that the amalgam "grumbles against taxes = fascist and populist movement” no longer works, find themselves lost in contortions funny enough to show that the State has nothing to do with it and that in reality, these taxes, even if they are high, make it possible (at your choice) to fight (climate change) pollution, to pay for (properly cleared and salted in winter) congested roads, to (educate) your children to assault teachers or to ensure the safety of (emotional) neighbourhoods.“explains Counterpoints.
France’s ‘Gilets jaunes’ leave Emmanuel Macron feeling decidedly off-colour: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/23/frances-gilets-jaunes-leave-macron-feeling-decidely-off-colour
IEM : la pression fiscale et sociale réelle du salarié moyen de l’UE – La Tribune: https://www.latribune.fr/economie/france/iem-la-pression-fiscale-et-sociale-reelle-du-salarie-moyen-de-l-ue-786420.html
Le rapport des Français aux impôts et au système fiscal – Le Monde: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2018-11/les_francais_et_limpot_2018.pdf
Chères, très chères autoroutes : le scandale – L’Obs: https://www.nouvelobs.com/economie/20140721.OBS4317/cheres-tres-cheres-autoroutes-le-scandale.html
Grâce aux taxes, la France s’appauvrit sans souci – Contrepoints: https://www.contrepoints.org/2018/11/09/329800-grace-aux-taxes-la-france-sappauvrit-sans-souci
Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici: https://aurianneor.tumblr.com/post/180479499655/la-situation-des-gilets-jaunes-aujourdhui-1-un
Wishing a safe journey to the yellow vests: https://aurianneor.tumblr.com/post/180241239260/wishing-a-safe-journey-to-the-yellow-vests-the
Contempt is not automatic: https://aurianneor.tumblr.com/post/185151419405/contempt-is-not-automatic
Oui au référendum d’initiative populaire: https://aurianneor.tumblr.com/post/158886557375/oui-au-référendum-dinitiative-populaire-sur-le
Le chiffon rouge Moderne: https://aurianneor.tumblr.com/post/177737397710/le-chiffon-rouge-moderne-le-chiffon-rouge
La liberté guidant le peuple: https://aurianneor.tumblr.com/tagged/liberté-guidant-le-peuple
Gilets Jaunes Coordination (Serveur Discord): http://www.giletsjaunes-coordination.fr
