He defines himself as a "centrist who takes the best of the right and the best of the left", by some he is instead considered too right-wing to be a progressive candidate, even if his experience in the last socialist government suggests the opposite and he is often challenged by opponents and by Le Pen herself, who even defined Emmanuel Macron as "compliant with Islamic terrorism". But who is really the leader of En Marche!, which against all odds is convincing the French more than anti-politics and even more than the traditional parties? What is really his economic project to reform France?
To free himself from any positioning and color, it is no coincidence that Macron founded his independent movement, En Marche!, a year ago, which can be defined as liberal-progressive: liberal because it aims at an unprecedented reduction in public spending and wants to reduce taxes (especially those on first homes and for businesses), progressive because it does not neglect social policies, is open to civil rights and immigration, aims at a new An open and supportive Europe, for which there is already talk of an axis with the Democratic Party led by Matteo Renzi.
Here is his program, point by point:
MUG
Tax reduction, according to Macron's program, will come to be of 20 billion a year by the end of the five-year period presidential. "The reduction will be distributed fairly between businesses and citizens and will help support purchasing power," reads the 39-year-old candidate's official website.
PROPERTIES - In particular, 4 out of 5 French people will no longer pay housing tax by 2020. The measure will concern the middle and low income groups, but even for those who continue to pay it will be significantly reduced. "The lost revenues of local administrations will be fully reimbursed by the State", ensures the program. To give a concrete example, a family with two children will be completely exempt up to an income of 5.000 euros per month.
COMPANIES – The rate for companies will instead be raised from the current 33,3% to 25% by the end of the mandate. Businesses will also be exempted from any costs that currently weigh on the payment of the minimum wage (the SMIC), for an estimated saving of 700 euros per year for each employee hired at the SMIC.
SAVINGS – Compared to the current legislation, which Macron defines as a "regulatory jungle", one will be introduced single taxation on all profits deriving from financial activities (capital gains, interest, dividends, etc), which will be equal to 30%.
ENVIRONMENT – The program also talks about a new ecological tax system to fight global warming. In particular, there will be a incentive of 1.000 euros for all owners of polluting cars who will want to buy another vehicle, new or second-hand.
WORK AND PENSIONS
CONTRACTS - Macron's goal is to bring the rate back to 7% by the end of the presidential term, i.e. by 2022. The plan plans to penalize employers who use too many short-term contracts, pushing for the use of permanent contracts above all in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. It is called “positive discrimination”: the government will identify 200 priority neighborhoods in the area, and will give a bonus of 15 euros over three years (for each hiring) to companies that will hire staff in those areas, mostly banlieues or poor neighborhoods.
UNEMPLOYMENT – Your entitlement to unemployment benefit will be also extended to resigning workers, provided that only once every five years. On the other hand, however, the subsidy will no longer be paid if the unemployed were to refuse more than two job offers judged "decent", or with a salary lower than no more than 20-25% at most compared to that of the previous job.
MINIMUM SALARY - Macron wants to release the equivalent of a thirteenth month for workers hired at SMIC, i.e. the minimum wage that currently in France it is around 1.150 euros per month and involves almost 2 million workers, especially women and young people. In practice, employees in that income bracket will be given almost 100 euros more net per month, a measure that recalls Renzi's 80 euros.
PENSIONS – The program includes the maintaining the retirement age at 62 years (while Le Pen would like to lower it to 60, at a cost of 30 billion euros) and a single regime, which replaces the 37 currently in force. The new system will be calculated based on life expectancy, "which is different for an executive or a worker," Macron said.
PUBLIC INVESTMENTS
The former economy minister points to a monstre plan for growth, equal to 50 billion in investments planned in the 5-year mandate:
- 15 billions will go to the school and the training system;
- 15 billion to the ecological and energy transition (including the phasing out of nuclear power and the complete replacement of vehicles registered before 2001);
- 5 billion to the health system, for which a digitization program is envisaged;
- 5 billion to agriculture;
- 5 billion to the modernization of the public administration;
- 5 billion in support of infrastructure and public transport.
PUBLIC SPENDING
Such an ambitious and costly program must be supported with substantial cuts in public costs. This is what Macron wants to do by proposing a savings of 60 billion a year in five years (second only to what the Republican candidate Fillon had hypothesized), which passes above all through an unprecedented reduction in public officials, who in 2022 will be 120 thousand fewer (especially in the peripheral apparatus) net of the 10 thousand hired in the police and the 12 thousand in the school. France currently has about 5,5 million civil servants, the highest figure in Europe at an absolute level but below the EU average in proportion to the population (about 1 employee for every 80 citizens, the average is 61 and in Italy there are 57). The detail:
- 25 billions a year will be saved on social sphere, in particular by avoiding the increase in health insurance costs (15 billion) and recovering another 10 billion from unemployment insurance, given that thanks to the structural interventions the unemployment rate is expected to fall to 7%;
- 25 billions a year will be saved as mentioned col staff cuts and with the digitization of the state apparatus;
- 10 billions a year will be recovered through the agreement with local administrations, who will undertake to spend less and therefore to ask for less aid from the State.
EUROPA
On the front of the commitments with Brussels, Macron claims to be "the only one among the candidates who wants to respect them". The program therefore includes the strict maintenance of the deficit/GDP ratio below the 3% thresholdfor the entire five-year period. Precisely for this reason the suggested growth forecasts are not so striking: "We will be honest with the French, we will not make promises that we cannot keep and our economic forecasts are in line with those of the major international institutes", reads the official En Marche website ! As for the budget, Macron also promises maximum transparency and quarterly reporting to Parliament.
