Page 8 - aruba-today-20190426

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 26 april 2019

Macron offers tax cut to French workers to quell anger

By SYLVIE CORBET do more to fight illegal mi- France’s Ecole Nationale
LORI HINNANT gration. Macron spoke to d’Administration, the influ-
Associated Press the nation from the presi- ential college that trains
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- dential Elysée Palace after top civil servants and poli-
dent Emmanuel Macron he convened nationwide ticians. The centrist Ma-
announced tax cuts for meetings where commu- cron, a former investment
middle-class workers and nities could debate how banker, is himself an ENA
plans for a more represen- to address economic con- graduate. Macron apolo-
tative parliament Thursday cerns raised by the yellow gized for some comments
as part of a promised re- vest movement, including that were perceived as ar-
sponse to the weekly yel- high taxes, unemployment rogant, such as his telling
low vest protests that dam- and stagnant wages. an unemployed man he
aged his presidency. He unveiled measures to could find a job if he “cross-
In a nationally televised boost pensions under 2,000 es the street” and advising
speech followed up by euros ($ 2,226) and said he a retiree not to complain.
a news conference, the would propose an over- “I may have given the im-
French leader also said French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the haul of France’s retirement pression to give orders all
France and Europe must Elysee Palace Thursday, April 25, 2019 in Paris. system during the summer. the time and be tough.
Associated Press But he said the “best solu- Which I regret,” he said.
tion” for financial disparities At the same time, he said
is “to cut taxes for a maxi- he would keep pushing
mum number of citizens pro-business policies op-
and especially those who posed by labor unions and
are working, especially the the yellow vest movement.
middle-class.” “I asked myself, ‘Were we
The president also vowed wrong?’ I think the total
to introduce “deep chang- opposite. I think the ongo-
es” to France’s system of ing changes, the neces-
democracy. One is eas- sary changes we have to
ing the rules for organizing do in our country mustn’t
public referendums so peo- be stopped,” Macron said.
ple have another outlet “They haven’t been quick
for grievances besides the enough for some, not radi-
street protests that have cal enough, not human
convulsed the country for enough.”
five months. Some activists who have
He pledged to reduce the been involved in the yellow
number of lawmakers in vest movement said they
parliament by about 30% were disappointed with
and to change how seats Macron’s response to their
are filled so the national demands for economic re-
legislature better reflects lief for the country’s work-
the diversity of France’s ing classes.
political parties. France’s Paris region activist Thier-
parliamentary election sys- ry-Paul Valette tweeted
tem currently is designed after Macron outlined his
to give the winning party proposals that the presi-
a strong majority, putting dent spoke like “a supreme
smaller parties at a disad- chief and doesn’t seem to
vantage. understand that he should
But Macron warned that show modesty.”
there comes a time for Once-prominent yellow
hard choices. He said he vest activist Ingrid Levavas-
thinks illegal immigration is seur, who scaled back her
weighing on Europe. The participation amid the
European Union should be movement’s internal divi-
“strong” by both protect- sions and protest violence,
ing its borders and taking in told The Associated Press
some asylum-seekers from she found Macron’s re-
countries where their lives sponse “not at all satisfac-
are at risk. tory.”
“To be welcoming, you Levavasseur cautiously
need to have a house. So welcomed his proposed
we need borders, we need measures to decentralize
borders to be respected, decision-making but said
we need rules,” he said. the overall plan wasn’t am-
In a move to counter the bitious enough.
yellow vest movement’s “The expectations are
portrayal of him as elit- so enormous that it was
ist, Macron said he de- bound to be disappoint-
cided to do away with ing,” she said.q