From a reader in France:
The french government is studying a new tax on 1)Family allocations and 2) Retired pensions:
http://fr.news.yahoo.com/la-taxation-des-allocations-familiales-fait-d%C3%A9bat-100320458.html
But no word about cutting government spending. For example, civil servants don’t pay the entrance fees to swimming pools, the train and subway tickets, etc. Even the children of the french diplomats go to school (any private school of their choice) for free! Maybe some day they will get for free the cinema and the pop corn.
Yesterday the employees (civil servants) of the public swimming pool next to me went on strike without warning (to maximize the effect on the public) and they don’t tell the public why; they just put a piece of paper at the entrance saying that they are on strike, and stayed at home!
The motto here is that of Louis XIII: “Selon notre bon plaisir” (litterally: According to our good pleasure)
Welcome to France.
