Macron introduces \'significant\' tax cuts after months of yellow vest protests

Macron introduces 'significant' tax cuts after months of yellow vest protests

ANI  |  Europe 

French on Thursday pledged a "significant" cut in income tax especially the "middle-class", and vowed to implement a bulk of other reforms in his

"I asked myself: Should we stop everything that was done over the past two years? Did we take a wrong turn? I believe quite the opposite," told reporters at the

The press conference was first in two years after took over his office as France's president, Al Jazeera reported.

The reform measures come as a response by the French to five months of demonstrations by "gilets jaunes" (yellow vests) anti-demonstrators.

The initiative would be financed by closing loopholes, squeezing government spending, but the French would also have to work more, he said.

"The feeling of our fellow citizens: "You have asked us for changes to us, and you have not changed. "

It's not false. We must change our democracy, our organization, our administration," the took to as saying.

Macron added that he wanted to make the parliament "more efficient".

The called for additional seats in the lower house of parliament, or the National Assembly, in order to provide representation to smaller parties, and planned to make proposals for national referendums easier.

Although the number of anti-government demonstrators has declined since a peak in November, protesters clashed with police for the 23rd weekend last Saturday.

The government introduced a string of initiatives, including increasing the minimum wage by 100 euros a month, as part of 'economic and social emergency plan' unveiled in November last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, April 26 2019. 02:24 IST