EXCLUSIVE SURVEY – Skeptical of tax cuts, the French consider public money badly spent

2023-05-04 15:35:55

Emmanuel Macron may have made lower taxation a marker of his policy since his first five-year term, but the French find it hard to believe. In total, 42% of them feel that taxes and duties have increased since his election in 2017, according to an Elabe poll carried out for “Les Echos” and the Institut Montaigne published on Thursday.

Only a little over a quarter of French people (28%) believe they pay less tax. Small consolation for the Head of State: this is the case for the majority of his voters (61%) while those of Jean-Luc Mélenchon mainly consider that they are taxed more than before. “It is an element of Emmanuel Macron’s balance sheet which does not print”, notes Vincent Thibault, director of opinion advice at Elabe.

“Political Prism”

Taxation is, it is true, a subject on which there is “a very strong political prism”, underlines the expert.

Moreover, at a time when high inflation poses the question of purchasing power with acuity, it is not obvious for the French to integrate that the tax burden has been reduced even if the subjects are not related. Unsurprisingly, in the feeling, those who are struggling to make ends meet are more inclined to think that they pay more taxes.

Behind the skepticism of those questioned, another criticism rises: more than three quarters consider that taxpayers’ money is badly spent. A persistent feeling which led the government to launch in mid-April the campaign “Get some for my taxes” aimed in particular at the middle classes, who have “doubts” regarding the use made of it. The survey shows the extent of the work.

The consent to tax certainly exists among a majority of French people (58%) who consider it “justified because it finances public services”. The functioning of the system is nevertheless criticized by all categories of the population and electorates. For most respondents, it allows neither “the redistribution of wealth between different social categories”, nor to prevent tax evasion.

More than one in two (53%) believe they contribute more to the system than they benefit from it. If this feeling has clearly declined since the crisis of “yellow vests”, “the government has not managed to reverse the trend”, notes Vincent Thibault. Only 8% of people claim to be winners.

Health at the top of expectations

While the government is preparing to consult the French to collect their suggestions on a better use of public funds, the investigation opens up leads. Asked regarding the areas where public spending should be increased, they first highlight health. There is consensus on the subject regardless of professional category or partisan preference. It comes far ahead of education, especially put forward by the executives and the electorate of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Security and pensions follow equally.

The issue of cuts is also addressed. According to those polled, they must first concern family allowances. An opinion shared by 47% of supporters of Marine Le Pen, but which is much less popular among voters of Emmanuel Macron (35%) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

For the Institut Montaigne, “the results of this survey reflect the complex relationship that the French have with taxation”. Hence his pithy conclusion: “With such a low political benefit to the French, the posture in favor of a lasting reduction in our taxation no longer seems tenable or legitimate. »

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