Prime: Purchasing power is the spearhead of this presidential election. At the dawn of the second round, Emmanuel Macron continues the key measures, including a bonus of 6000 €. We give you all the details on this bonus and on the French people concerned in this article.
Purchasing power premium: spearheading the presidential campaign
It is impossible for you to have escaped in this presidential campaign. The first lap was tight. Especially between Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon. It is finally the candidate of the National Rally who joins the outgoing president Emmanuel Macron for this second round. Both have a lot in common. And in particular their program centered around the purchasing power of the French.
It must be admitted, these last few years have not been kind to the kitties of our fellow citizens. The health crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic has deprived many French people of their jobs, while others have seen their income drop. In addition, it is without taking into account the record inflation that the country is undergoing. Fuel and energy prices are at their highest, and citizens’ finances are at their lowest.
If purchasing power is at half mast in France, the Macron government has tried to stem the problem by offering many bonuses. We were thus entitled to the energy check, the Macron bonus, or even more recently a fuel bonus. Despite everything, the concern of the French remains great, and the presidential candidates jumped at the chance to grab a few votes.
Bonus of 6000 €: the French concerned
Facing the candidate of the Rassemblement National Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron pirouettes. Indeed, his victory is far from assured. Many voters said they were going to block him, or abstain. He who thought he would get a Republican barrage against the far right, here he is in trouble. Thus, in order to entice the electorate of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Emmanuel Macron is betting everything on purchasing power.
Hoping that we forget the 5 years of revolts which have just ended, the candidate president has just made a promise absolutely crazy. He wants to increase the ceiling of his purchasing power bonus from €1,000 to €6,000. And this, starting this summer!
Asked by our colleagues from France Bleu on April 14, he said:
“I want to set up the employee dividend […] that is to say that when a company works, it pays dividends to its shareholders [et à ses salariés]. When there are dividends, there must be in return either profit-sharing or the payment of a purchasing power bonus. This purchasing power bonus was created three years ago. It is capped at 1,000 euros. What I want to be able to do this summer is bring it up to 6,000 euros without charges for the employer, and without tax for the worker, the employee. This will make it possible to ensure that when the shareholders enrich themselves because the activity is good, the boss is obliged to pay either a profit-sharing, or the bonus purchasing power up to 6,000 euros.”.
If the idea is beautiful and could greatly inflate the purchasing power of the French people concerned, it remains to be seen whether companies will play the game…
Other promises to increase purchasing power
This new purchasing power bonus could concern all French people who earn less than three times the minimum wage monthly. This would represent more than 4 million workers. Emmanuel Macron does not stop there, however. The candidate president continues the electoral promises.
Still on the minimum wage, he also announces a record revaluation reaching 2.4 to 2.6% this year. The principle of this is to absorb part of the inflation, although it also contributes to fueling it. What he forgets to specifyis that this revaluation of the minimum wage is automatic, and not of its own accord.
While he wants us to work more long time, President Macron is trying to win over people who are already retired. Those over 65 represent a large part of his electorate after all.
Thus, their purchasing power should increase by 4% this year. It is a welcome gesture, knowing that Agirc-Arrco has reassessed its pensions below the inflation threshold. The minimum full career pension will also increase from 980 euros to 1,100 euros per month: “What I want us to be able to do is that we spend this retirement minimal at 1,100 per month. Why ? Because that’s what makes it possible to live with dignity and I believe that’s what we owe to our elders. “. It remains to be seen whether this is all just talk or not…