France ready to erupt - average citizens have had enough
Sound familiar? Macron Schumer and Pelosi are equally out of touch with the public.
61-69, M
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room101 · 51-55, M
Having read through this entire discussion, there are a number of points which you need to be aware of.
First, income tax. In pretty much every European country income tax is charged at source. This means that employers deduct tax from salaries and pay it over to the government. All employees have what we in the UK call a tax free allowance. This tax free allowance currently stands at approx £11,000 per year. This means that no tax is collected on the first £11,000 that we earn and is only charged on every £1 earned AFTER that allowance amount. The UK government is increasing that amount in 2019. From what I've read, Macron is doing the same thing. What this means is that NO, Macron is not "giving" the French people money from the governments tax coffers. He is taking less from them.
Second, secondary taxation. This is taxation on goods and services which is added to the price of those goods and services, collected by whomever is making the sale and, paid over to the government. There are basically two types of this secondary taxation. Sales tax, which we call Value Added Tax (or V.A.T). So, if a gallon of fuel costs £1.00 and the VAT rate is 20%, that gallon of fuel costs the consumer £1.20. The second type, which is actually charged before VAT (which means that there is VAT charged on this other tax as well), are various forms of import tax and other duties. The purpose of these duties and taxes is not just to add to the governments tax revenues, it is to control and manage the use of certain goods. So, if a government wants to deter its citizens from smoking or drinking excessively, it charges a tax on tobacco and alcohol. Similarly, if a government wants to reduce vehicle usage, it charges a tax on fuel.
Third, the impact of humans on climate change. The vast majority of Europeans agree that humans are having a huge impact on the ecology of our planet. Not just in terms of climate change but in pretty much everything that we do. Consequently, the vast majority of us accept increased taxes on fuel as a way of curbing air pollution and green house gas emissions.
Fourth, Steve Bannon and the rise of populism. It is a well documented fact that Steve Bannon has been instrumental in the rise of right-wing populism and that this has been going on for a number of years. He was indeed Vice President of Cambridge Analytica and he did indeed start touring Europe in the summer of 2018 (pretty much immediately after Trump came to the UK and was met with massive demonstrations against him). There is a lot that I could write about this, but this reply is long enough as it is so, I'll leave it up to you to carry out your own research and comment if you feel so inclined. One thing, however, NO Hilary Clinton did not use Cambridge Analytica. If you have any sources which state (with evidence) the contrary, I would be very interested to see them.
Fifth, the Yellow Vest demonstrations in France. The French have a very long tradition of taking action against government policies which they disagree with. They have very strong unions who actively support each other. The Yellow Vest demonstrations came about because Macron increased the tax on vehicle fuel as a way of curbing CO2 emissions. This back-fired because it increased the cost of all goods and services. So, the demonstrations themselves are nothing new. What is somewhat unusual is the level of violence being perpetrated. There are many who argue that this violence has been agitated by right-wing populists. I would be very interested to see anybody's thoughts on this.
First, income tax. In pretty much every European country income tax is charged at source. This means that employers deduct tax from salaries and pay it over to the government. All employees have what we in the UK call a tax free allowance. This tax free allowance currently stands at approx £11,000 per year. This means that no tax is collected on the first £11,000 that we earn and is only charged on every £1 earned AFTER that allowance amount. The UK government is increasing that amount in 2019. From what I've read, Macron is doing the same thing. What this means is that NO, Macron is not "giving" the French people money from the governments tax coffers. He is taking less from them.
Second, secondary taxation. This is taxation on goods and services which is added to the price of those goods and services, collected by whomever is making the sale and, paid over to the government. There are basically two types of this secondary taxation. Sales tax, which we call Value Added Tax (or V.A.T). So, if a gallon of fuel costs £1.00 and the VAT rate is 20%, that gallon of fuel costs the consumer £1.20. The second type, which is actually charged before VAT (which means that there is VAT charged on this other tax as well), are various forms of import tax and other duties. The purpose of these duties and taxes is not just to add to the governments tax revenues, it is to control and manage the use of certain goods. So, if a government wants to deter its citizens from smoking or drinking excessively, it charges a tax on tobacco and alcohol. Similarly, if a government wants to reduce vehicle usage, it charges a tax on fuel.
Third, the impact of humans on climate change. The vast majority of Europeans agree that humans are having a huge impact on the ecology of our planet. Not just in terms of climate change but in pretty much everything that we do. Consequently, the vast majority of us accept increased taxes on fuel as a way of curbing air pollution and green house gas emissions.
Fourth, Steve Bannon and the rise of populism. It is a well documented fact that Steve Bannon has been instrumental in the rise of right-wing populism and that this has been going on for a number of years. He was indeed Vice President of Cambridge Analytica and he did indeed start touring Europe in the summer of 2018 (pretty much immediately after Trump came to the UK and was met with massive demonstrations against him). There is a lot that I could write about this, but this reply is long enough as it is so, I'll leave it up to you to carry out your own research and comment if you feel so inclined. One thing, however, NO Hilary Clinton did not use Cambridge Analytica. If you have any sources which state (with evidence) the contrary, I would be very interested to see them.
Fifth, the Yellow Vest demonstrations in France. The French have a very long tradition of taking action against government policies which they disagree with. They have very strong unions who actively support each other. The Yellow Vest demonstrations came about because Macron increased the tax on vehicle fuel as a way of curbing CO2 emissions. This back-fired because it increased the cost of all goods and services. So, the demonstrations themselves are nothing new. What is somewhat unusual is the level of violence being perpetrated. There are many who argue that this violence has been agitated by right-wing populists. I would be very interested to see anybody's thoughts on this.