France suspends recent fuel taxes for 6 months
French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced on
Tuesday a suspension of fuel tax increases planned for January 1 in a move to
end violent "Yellow Vest" protests against the measure.
"No tax merits putting the unity of the nation
in danger," Philippe said in a televised address, adding that the anger on
the streets "originates from a profound injustice: of not being able to
live with dignity from one's work".
He also announced that increases in the cost of gas
and electricity, also set to take effect from January 1, would be suspended for
three months during the winter months.
Philippe added that a tightening of the technical
assessment for cars, which was set to penalize heavily polluting older
vehicles, would also be suspended for six months.
The measures are an attempt to take the heat out of
anti-government protests by low-income people in small-town and rural France
who have blocked roads and demonstrated for more than a fortnight.
Protests in Paris on Saturday degenerated into some
of the worst violence in years in the capital, which saw more than 200 vehicles
torched and the Arc de Triomphe vandalized.
Philippe said the protesters and the government
shared the same objective -- "that work pays" -- and acknowledged
that France had some of the highest taxes in Europe.
