Should we have a social VAT in France? "Everyone will benefit," assures the head of the Medef (French employers' association)

Towards the return of a "sort of social VAT"? Emmanuel Macron raised the idea in his lengthy interview with TF1 last week. "Work must be better paid," declared the President of the Republic, who wants a reduction in contributions with, in return, a possible increase in consumption taxes. This is a way—without naming it—of putting the social VAT option back on the table to reduce costs.

Medef (French employers' association), Patrick Martin, is rather in favor of it. He was a guest on RMC this Tuesday, May 20th, although he would rather call it "VAT for employment and competitiveness."

"I agree all the more since I proposed this last summer, at the time amidst a general indifference. I'm delighted that it's making its way into the public debate," he exults.

"I am completely in favor of aligning the financing of the social security system with taxation," he continues.

"We must generate growth, and everyone will benefit," he assures, in terms of competitiveness, exports, and net wages. He supports his argument by citing the example of Germany, which increased VAT without much impact on inflation. "The economy absorbs this fairly quickly," he promises, concluding that it is "virtuous in every way."

He points out that "morale among entrepreneurs is not very good," citing an internal survey where 84% of Medef members are worried about the current outlook." However, he finds that the investments announced at Choose France "send very positive messages to foreign investors," even if he believes that companies in France must be taken into account.

Seven years after telling a job seeker that all it took was crossing the street to find work, Emmanuel Macron on Monday returned to this controversial statement and stood by it: "France will only move forward through merit and hard work," he replied to an employee who called on him to "make the lazy work."

"There are 450,000 jobs that are unfilled while unemployment is rising," confirmed Patrick Martin on RMC this Tuesday, who, however, would not speak of "lazy people," "even if they exist," he believes.