France, Social Portrait 2015 Edition
France, Social Portrait is for everyone who would like to learn more about French society. This cross-cutting publication in the “Insee Références” collection gives a broad overview of the social situation in France.
The reforms of social benefits and deductions in 2014 penalised the 50% wealthiest households and spared the 10% poorest
Marie-Cécile Cazenave, Maëlle Fontaine, Juliette Fourcot, Antoine Sireyjol et Mathias André
The new social and tax measures in 2014 lowered the average standard of living of households by 0.5%. This decrease was mainly explained by a rise in income tax, targeted to the wealthiest, and by an increase in the pension contribution rate. The new measures slightly reduced standard of living inequalities, particularly due to compensation measures for low-income households: exceptional reduction in income tax and exceptional increases in certain social benefits. Taking into account all the effects of the new measures, the ratio between the average standard of living of the 10% wealthiest and that of the 10% poorest was 6.32; it would be 6.40 without these new measures.