Increase in corporate taxes: Medef “ready to debate” with the government, without “pulling too much on the rope”

In an interview with “Parisien”, the president of the employers’ group Patrick Martin said that he was open to a discussion about the effort requested from companies, while setting conditions.

It’s not the big fiscal night yet but after years of considering tax the enemy of economic success, it’s a notable step. In an interview with Parisian Monday September 23, the head of Medef Patrick Martin said this “ready to chat” of an increase in corporate taxes, but under conditions. “We are ready to talk increase in corporate taxes under two conditions. First of all, if we have proof that the State is making much more efforts than it wants from companies on excessive public costs. Then, that the requested effort does not hinder the impetus of investment and the creation of jobs in an economic situation that is very fragile.”

“We are in a helpful position with regard to this government,” he assured the boss, “because we are aware that the situation of public finances is very bad and that the political equation is fragile”. And still asking the government to ban: “French companies carry the highest level of taxes and social security contributions in the world, 364 billion euros per year. ” He noticed too “there are already a lot of taxes that affect big companies more”, etc “we mustn’t pull the rope too far”.

In his concessions, Pádraig Martin nevertheless believes that we are “can talk” to buy money back, as the previous government intended, but it would be better “encouraging their profitable investments”. He also mentioned danger “to scare him” foreign investors with this measure.

A situation that comes at a time when the question was at the heart of the balance of power to create the new government. If the new Prime Minister Michel Barnier had said he was against it, it was immediate threatened by the Macronist troops, against any tax increase, with the withdrawal of their support. This did not stop the head of government from forming his team, with Macronists, and announcing a colorful start Sunday afternoon in his interview on France 2: unsolicited “further increase taxes on all French people […]not on the more polite, or the working people, or the middle classes.” he intended to request an effort from the “The luckiest people” and of “some big companies”. In this case, the former negotiator of Brexit had even refused to reject an increase in corporate tax, reduced from 33% to 25% by Emmanuel Macron.