The assertion may have surprised viewers, the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes, Eric Ciotti, advanced during the CNews-Europe 1 debate of the right-wing primary, Sunday evening, that the French were working for the state until the 19 July.
By this image, the elected representative wanted to illustrate the strong fiscal and social pressure which characterizes our country.
What exactly is it?
See also14 of the 38 OECD countries have they abolished inheritance tax?
Éric Ciotti refers to a study by the Molinari institute on the “day of fiscal liberation”, unveiled by Le
Figaro
last July. This study explained that from Monday July 19, French employees would be
"released"
the weight of compulsory levies. This means, in concrete terms, that an average and single employee must work until that date to pay social contributions, income tax and VAT, and thus finance public expenditure. For the sixth consecutive year, France thus came - tied with Austria - at the top of the European countries where the tax and social pressure remains the highest. On average, across the 27 countries of the European Union, this day comes much earlier, June 12, with Malta (April), Cyprus (April) and Ireland (May) among the top performers.
In 2019 and 2020, this day of “fiscal and social liberation” also took place on July 19.
This stability may come as a surprise because public spending has exploded with the coronavirus crisis.
But the tens of billions of euros poured out during the crisis to avoid the collapse of the economy were thus not financed by a tax increase, but by the public debt which reached a record level of 118% of the economy. GDP, one of the highest in the European Union.
Thus, like the two previous years, the French were released for tax eight days earlier than in 2018 (July 27).
Experts from the liberal think-tank cite the impact of replacing the tax credit for competitiveness and employment (CICE) by reducing employer contributions.
