” Three digits followed by a number of zeros, and more zeros, aligned to the point of vertigo “, tell us The Obs this week. In 2021, CAC 40 companies have “ collectively generated some 174 billion euros in profits “. ” Unheard of in French capitalism and an increase of 70 % from previous record ” Explain The Obs. The magazine is nice, it even simplifies “ on a more intelligible scale for us poor mortals. In other words, ” CAC 40 groups earned 5,517 euros every second “.
Few taxes paid in France
Taxes are something else, however…” By dint of hearing many big bosses rail against the tax overflow, one could easily believe that, with such profits, the same groups of the CAC40 have paid a lot of taxes. But that’s far from the case.” revealed The Obs. The magazine reveals that these companies have paid to the State ” not even 10 billion euros in corporate tax in 2021. That’s barely 5% of what they earned in the world before tax “.
And how The Obs does he know? The magazine simply asked the companies. And 28 out of 40 companies have agreed to be transparent. For the others, ” their silence suggests that their contribution must be, if not zero, in any case derisory “, highlighted The Obs. “This is the case of Sanofi “for example who has all the same” pocketed a jackpot of more than 8 billion euros “.
France, world tax champion?
So why is it often said that France is the world tax champion? It’s true, or almost, analysis The Obs. With tax revenues representing 43.4% of GDP, France “ ranks well in the top tier of the most taxed countries on the planet “. Only Finland and Sweden ” have a higher tax rate ” but “Contrary to what we have believed for thirty years, companies are taxed less and less, while individuals are taxed more and more “. And this emerges from an OECD study, the international organization unsuspecting of leftism “, precise The Obs. ” Perhaps we should not look further for the reasons for the French tax fed up? asks the magazine.
Train, plane, car… The transport nightmare
And there is enough to be fed up with transport as well. “Plane, train, car: how transport has become a real nightmare », a file signed Marianne this week. ” When the SNCF derails “, first of all. ” Exorbitant ticket prices, opacity of fare calculation method, strict profitability targets », Marianne wonders: ” Can we still talk about public service? The magazine denounces in particular the technique for the price of tickets that is called the ” yield management “. The principle is that the tickets for the same train are divided into multiple price categories. The cheapest tickets are sold first and then move on to the next higher price category. A system much less readable than the mileage package or “pay what you travel”. Especially since the SNCF does not communicate how it manages its system of seat categories, in other words we do not know – among other things – if there are more or fewer tickets in the cheapest category.
The galleys of the aviation sector
A hellish summer at the airports too. And here is the ” crash ” of the ” flexibility “, tell us Marianne. The air transport sector laid off so many people during the Covid pandemic that today it is struggling to recruit to cope with the return of travelers. To give an idea, the European Federation of Workers estimates that at least 191,000 employees had already been pushed out at the start of 2021, not to mention the non-renewed CDDs of temporary workers” (technicians, security officers, etc.). And given the lack of attractiveness of their job, today most workers do not want to return when they are called back, explains Marianne. And I spare you” motorists’ ordeal ”, also described by the magazine. Between ” the boom in prices at the pump and the increase in toll rates “, he wonders if the car does not become ” unaffordable, to the point of jeopardizing our freedom of movement “.
Heat records expected
And to make matters worse, there is the heat…” How to Live Above 40 Degrees is the question The Sunday Journal. ” Today and tomorrow, record temperatures are expected in the country “. Thirty-seven departments placed on orange alert by Météo France, which “ anticipates a crescendo rise in mercury today: 38 to 40 degrees expected in the South-West and 35 in Rennes or Brest”. Yes, it climbs. So more generally, The JDD explains to us today how to deal with heatstroke, agglomerations rely on nature “, when ” the government has promised an emergency fund “.
In Rouen, for example, raspberries, ponds and mounds of earth are gradually replacing concrete in schoolyards “. In Nantes, ” 25 oases of biodiversity will enhance pedestrian walks next year ». In Nice, ” the national theater and the convention center will be razed to leave 8 hectares of greenery to bloom by 2025”. Yes, ” everywhere in France, it’s time for major green works », confirms The JDD. And it’s not so bad.