Overview

• The government is weighing a one-year freeze on pensions, social benefits and income tax brackets to contribute to its €40 billion savings plan for the 2026 budget.
• An analysis by the Institut des politiques publiques projects the freeze would generate about €5.7 billion but risk triggering recessionary pressures.
• LFI MP Éric Coquerel denounced the freeze as “a very bad solution” and urged raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations, including through a Zucman levy and a climate-focused net worth tax.
• Les Républicains vice-president François-Xavier Bellamy called the measure “the inverse of the right strategy” and advocated cutting social outlays such as the RSA and unemployment benefits instead.
• RN vice-president Sébastien Chenu criticized the plan as marginal tweaks and demanded a broader overhaul of state agencies, immigration policy and France’s EU contributions.