New York Times (February 23)
“The heavy parliamentary weapon France’s Socialist government deployed to ram an economic reform bill through opposition in its own ranks might seem excessive for a measure that basically lets some stores stay open on some Sundays.” This raises the question of how President François Hollande will proceed when the “far tougher package of tax breaks, easing of labor laws and other reforms is due later this year.”
Tags: Economic reform, France, Hollande, Labor laws, Parliament, Socialist government, Stores, Sundays, Tax breaks
New York Times (August 7)
There’s a sensible way to quickly cut $100 billion from the budget. The Times points to “two obvious and long overdue cuts: ending the web of tax breaks enjoyed by the rolling-in-dough oil industry and terminating the ethanol subsidy.” Over 10 years, eliminating these tax breaks “would save up to $100 billion…without hurting the poor and middle class or slowing the economy.”
