Will the theme of purchasing power be the one that will determine the vote of the French on Sunday April 10?
The polls continue to place it at the top of the concerns of the French in recent months.
According to an Elabe poll conducted at the end of March, this is the most important topic for 57% of French people, ahead of health (28%) and pensions (24%).
A notable breakthrough.
In 2016, before the election that brought Emmanuel Macron to the Élysée, it was terrorism and unemployment that were of primary concern to the French.
To discover
SIMULATOR - Are you paid well?
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The subject of purchasing power is particularly promising because “
mobilizing, transversal, cross-partisan, and almost depoliticized
”, explains Christian Le Bart, professor of political science at Sciences Po Rennes.
"
Catch-all and cross-cutting
", this question has become essential for presidential candidates who prove in this way their interest in the daily concerns of the French.
Marine Le Pen made it her hobbyhorse early in her campaign, and even places purchasing power before the question of immigration on her profession of faith.
The other contenders for the Élysée had to follow suit, sometimes digging into each other's programs in search of "
good ideas
".
Faced with the profusion of proposals that follow one another and - sometimes - look alike, it can be difficult to find your way around.
Le Figaro
takes stock of the promises and positions of the various candidates concerning purchasing power.
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fuel prices
Rising energy prices, and in particular gasoline, were boosted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Faced with this ball for the purchasing power of the French, the presidential candidates would like to shoot down different cards.
Several candidates are calling for sustainable measures, especially on the left.
Among them, Fabien Roussel, who wants to cap gasoline prices at 1.70 euros per liter, or Anne Hidalgo, who wants to lower VAT to 5.5% on fuels.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for his part, wants to block petrol prices at 1.40 euros, as well as the prices of basic necessities, gas and electricity.
The Reconquest candidate!
Eric Zemmour proposes both a temporary measure and a lasting measure.
The first: a price freeze at 1.80 euros per liter “
the time needed to implement a ceasefire
”.
The second: compulsory payment of fuel costs to go to work by the employer.
For Yannick Jadot, the State must provide one-off aid, namely an energy check of 400 euros, four times more than that distributed by the government at the end of last year.
Valérie Pécresse also opts for a temporary solution, namely a drop in fuel prices of 25 cents, ten more than what was decided by the government in March.
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, does not want to touch the taxes that weigh on gasoline prices.
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Revaluation of pensions
Alongside the debate on the retirement age, the candidates several candidates agree on the need to upgrade pensions.
Emmanuel Macron is thus in favor of a floor, for full careers, set at 1100 euros per month.
The outgoing president would also like, if elected, to revalue pensions “
from July
” by indexing them to inflation, like Marine Le Pen, or Valérie Pécresse.
Socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo wants to raise the minimum old age to 1,000 euros and the contributory minimum to 1,200 euros.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for his part, wants a much more generous system, with a minimum pension set at the minimum wage for full careers – a minimum wage which would itself be upgraded to 1,400 euros.
Finally, Eric Zemmour wants to focus his efforts on survivor's pensions, revalued to 75% of the amount that should have been paid to the deceased spouse.
Lower taxes
To lower household taxation, Emmanuel Macron has taken on board a proposal already made by Eric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen: abolish the television license fee, supposed to finance the audiovisual public service and which represents a cost of 138 euros per year for households. .
Presidential candidates have also taken up the issue of lowering inheritance taxes.
Valérie Pécresse, Eric Zemmour, Anne Hidalgo and Yannick Jadot thus wish to double the reduction threshold, currently set at 100,000 euros, to increase it to 200,000 euros.
Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, wants to see it increase to 150,000 euros per child and 100,000 euros for other family members.
The left-wing candidates also want to tackle the VAT.
Anne Hidalgo wants to lower it on energy prices and products that promote ecological transition such as train tickets.
Similarly, Yannick Jadot wants to lower this tax on ecological products and services (to 5.5%) and increase that of polluting transport (20%).
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for his part, wants to reduce VAT on basic necessities.
Valérie Pécresse, for her part, aims to increase the ceiling of the tax credit for home employment to increase it to 20,000 euros.
It also intends to reduce the IFI, by increasing the reduction on the value of the main residence, which would increase from 30% to 50%.
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Purchasing power of young people
Several candidates want to take care of their young electorate by promising them to benefit from an extension of the base of social minima.
Among them, the RSA.
Fabien Roussel wants to extend it to young people - it is currently reserved for over 25s.
For the communist candidate, this proposal must make it possible to
"respond to the immediate urgency, the time to create these sectors, to reindustrialize".
Without specifying the amount, Anne Hidalgo wishes for her part to create a minimum youth.
Finally, Yannick Jadot wants to pay a “
citizen income
” of 740 euros, from the age of 18.
For Valérie Pécresse, on the other hand, any aid must be conditional on an activity.
Candidate LR thus offers a “
young active income
” of 670 euros for young people who would agree to train for a job in tension.
Marine Le Pen, for her part, intends to exempt from income tax all young workers under the age of 30, and to abolish corporation tax for entrepreneurs under 30 for five years.
As for Eric Zemmour, he wishes to address first-time buyers by exempting them from notary fees for any real estate purchase of less than 250,000 euros, and young rural parents by offering them a "
birth bonus
" of an amount of 10,000 euros.