After a months-long civil debate, France's head of state Emmanuel Macron has announced a significant reduction in income tax. It's about relief "for those who work," Macron told journalists and cabinet members at the Elysée Palace in Paris.
In addition, the 41-year-old hinted at a possible return to wealth tax, which had largely abolished his government. The measure will be reviewed next year, he said at the Elysée Palace.
Macron said that by 2022, no hospitals and schools in the country should be closed. He also wanted to facilitate referendums. However, the president refuses to close the elite university ENA, which was previously speculated.
He basically insisted on his reform course, Macron said: "I believe that the transformation of our country must not be stopped," he said. The president, who had been in office for almost two years, had reacted to the civil debate on the social protests of the "yellow vests" which had lasted for more than five months. The demonstrations of the "yellow vests" had triggered the biggest political crisis in Macron's term.
Macron's performance had been postponed by more than a week because of the major fire at Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral.