“Is it honest to ask those that begin working right now to repay rather than their mother and father? » | EUROtoday

Lhe continued rise in French public debt is the results of a long time of successive price range deficits. Some are justified as a result of they’re induced by crucial assist for exercise throughout a disaster, similar to these of 2008 (subprimes) then 2019 (Covid). But others are usually not, similar to these recorded throughout a interval with out disaster, between 2012 and 2019.

During this era, the State repeatedly decreased its deficit, dropping it from -5% of gross home product (GDP) in 2012 to -2.3% in 2018. But, with out managing to generate surpluses, the debt of France elevated by 6.8 factors, flirting with 100% of GDP (97.4% in 2019).

During the identical interval, German governments produced price range surpluses of as much as 2% of GDP, making it potential to cut back public debt by 21.1 factors, falling beneath 60% of GDP (59.6% in 2019). .

If, right now, the prognosis of financial forecasters appears to be that of an finish to the disaster, how can we not reproduce the slippages in public funds of the interval 2012-2019? Contrary to what Emmanuel Macron asserts, the issue of persistent deficits of the French State is to not be present in revenues which might be too low, however relatively in expenditures which might be too excessive.

Inability of French governments to cut back spending

If durations of disaster justify extra spending, that’s to say price range deficit, the identical will not be true for durations of restoration which should see spending decreased. This is what Germany did between 2012 and 2019, with state spending growing from 48% to 44% of GDP, for revenues between 44 and 46% of GDP, whereas throughout this similar interval the France had expenditures which elevated from 57% to 55% of GDP for revenues of round 53% of GDP!

This historic episode highlights the shortcoming of French governments to cut back spending… even in periods with no disaster. Faced with this downside of controlling spending, it’s due to this fact important to do not forget that the State in France is organized round a social contract the place vital taxes give entry to beneficiant advantages. Contributions should due to this fact be commensurate with the “rights” to advantages.

However, since 1974, the sequence of public deficits signifies that “rights” advantages have been taken with out the contributory a part of the social contract having been revered. It due to this fact appears respectable to ask the beneficiaries of those “overpayments” to repay them, at the least partly. Is it honest to ask those that begin working right now to repay them as a substitute of their mother and father and grandparents?

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