French Left’s Tax Hike Proposals ‘Unbearable,’ Premier Says

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier says tens of billions of euros of tax increases proposed by left-wing opposition parties would be “unbearable” as they would undermine business and households’ purchasing power.

France must reduce its budget deficit to preserve its ability to borrow at reasonable rates, Barnier said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper published Sunday. However, the tax burden shouldn’t be increased beyond the temporary effort requested by the government from some large companies and the wealthiest taxpayers, he said.