France’s Macron and Le Pen lay out rival plans to boost workers’ earnings
By France24
17 April 2022 |
1:39 pm
Amid surging inflation, the two remaining French presidential candidates are promising to help voters make a better living. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron is promising to triple the amount of a special tax-free bonus that employers can give workers. Meanwhile, far-right hopeful Marine Le Pen wants to give tax incentives to companies to raise the basic salary. Both proposals would come at a cost; we take a closer look. Plus, Elon Musk is offering to buy up all of the remaining shares in Twitter at a premium, saying the social media giant needs to go private to see effective changes.
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