Who will best defend the household portfolio?
For several weeks, inflation hitting the end of the month hard for the French has become the main subject of the presidential campaign.
Unions, employers, politicians and employees have taken up the subject.
Marine Le Pen like Emmanuel Macron have taken a number of positions on this key issue, promising to protect purchasing power.
To discover
Presidential 2022: where are Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen in the polls?
Fuels, electricity, food, VAT...
Le Figaro
looked at several measures put forward by the two candidates and some of their statements on the matter.
We invite you to find a selection.
A boost to the minimum wage, counterproductive?
This is one of the avenues put forward by the left-wing candidates in the presidential election: a "
boost
" to the minimum wage would make it possible to increase the wages of millions of French people, and to increase their purchasing power, have argued the suitors for the Elysée.
An idea rejected by the executive, despite the high inflation observed for a few months: in this case,
"prices catch up with wages and wages catch up with prices in a kind of parrot scale that never ends, and this are the employees who end up losing
,” said the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, in March.
Is right ?
Read alsoWould a “boost” to the Smic risk relaunching an “inflationary spiral”?
Fuels: playing on VAT, a way to reduce prices at the pump?
Another track put forward by Marine Le Pen: playing on the taxation of fuels would protect the portfolio of households, judges the candidate RN.
While prices at the pump have risen sharply since the start of the war in Ukraine, the finalist in the presidential election recommends lowering the VAT on fuels to reduce the weight of taxes - around 50 to 60% of the final price - in the invoice paid by the consumer.
But would this track be applicable, or would it be prevented by European law?
Read alsoCan we really lower the VAT on fuel from 20% to 5.5%?
The Macron five-year term, marked by a loss of purchasing power?
Faced with the "
loss of purchasing power
", will households sanction the executive in place?
On several occasions, Marine Le Pen and her entourage attacked Emmanuel Macron on his record in defending the wallets of the French.
"
The feeling of the French corresponds to reality: they have lost purchasing power
", assured the candidate, in April.
But what do the - numerous - studies on this subject really say?
Has Macron's five-year term really been a failure in this area?
Read alsoHas purchasing power really declined under Emmanuel Macron's five-year term?
Inflation: are massive increases to be expected in a few weeks?
Is the worst yet to come?
During a trip, Marine Le Pen warned of the price increases that are looming in a few weeks, particularly in the food sector.
“
A wall of inflation is coming
.
In food it is partly there, food prices are increasing, they will increase in the coming weeks
, ”she said.
Are his fears justified?
Read alsoWill France face an “inflation wall in the coming weeks?”
Gas: the “
tariff shield
”, a short-term solution?
Will the billions of euros put on the table by the government in the face of soaring energy prices be useless?
For Marine Le Pen, gas will experience a further increase in the next few months: “
The regulated gas prices end next July.
If there are no more regulated tariffs, the price of gas will double
,” she declared in February.
Is his concern legitimate?
Read alsoWill the price of gas double after the presidential election?
Fuels: “
freezing prices
”, a possible avenue?
Faced with rising prices at the pump, each contender for the Elysée Palace has advanced its own track.
And, between the discount of fifteen to eighteen centimes, on the Macron side, and the reduction in taxation, on the Le Pen side, some were advancing a third way.
During the campaign, Fabien Roussel, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Eric Zemmour all three suggested “
blocking the prices
” of fuels, in order to guarantee a “
decent price
”.
Would this lead be legal and effective?
Read alsoFuels: faced with soaring bills, could we "freeze prices"?
A 0% VAT on a hundred products, a way to reduce the receipt?
To the great evils, the great remedies: to relieve the wallet of the consumers, the candidate RN proposes to play, there too, on the taxation.
Marine Le Pen suggests removing VAT on a hundred products deemed essential, in order to reduce the final price.
But would this measure be applicable, from a legal point of view?
And would it really be effective in protecting the purchasing power of the French?
Read alsoPurchasing power: would it be effective to apply a 0% VAT on basic products?
Also find our other checks on the two candidates present in the second round of the presidential election
Read alsoPresidential: the program and statements of Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen scrutinized
Read alsoSecurity, employment, budget… We checked ten statements by Emmanuel Macron
Read alsoNuclear, security, Ukraine: we checked eleven statements by Marine Le Pen
