Free Republic

PARIS (Reuters) - France overtook Denmark as the most taxed country in 2017 as government tax revenues in developed countries hit a record high, the OECD said, data which may do little to help President Emmanuel Macron placate protesters angered over living costs. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday overall government tax revenue on average reached 34.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) last year among 34 developed countries for which the Paris-based body compiled data. Though up only slightly from 34.0 percent in 2016, the figure was the highest average overall tax take since...

France suspends controversial fuel tax after weeks of unrest By James McAuley December 4 at 6:40 AM PARIS — French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced Tuesday that the French government would temporarily suspend the controversial carbon tax plan that triggered weeks of often violent protests around the country. To help curb climate change, the government had proposed a slew of new carbon taxes that were slated to take effect in January 2019 and were designed to wean consumers off diesel and other polluting fuels and to favor electric cars. But the price hikes those taxes represented triggered a wave of...

Marion Maréchal, the niece of Rassemblement National (National Rally) leader Marine Le Pen, revealed she attended the Paris Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) protests on Saturday and claimed to witness violence coming from left-wing extremists. Ms Maréchal, who dropped the ‘Le Pen’ from her name, also said that by the time violence erupted at the iconic Champs-Élysées, the real members of the movement had already left. Saying she arrived shortly after 2 pm, she said, “When I arrived on the Champs-Élysées, the real ‘Yellow Vests’ were long gone. The movement was totally absorbed by left-wing activists. We heard: ‘death to capitalism!’...

How often can I be right? As much as President Trump said Americans will win. As France burns from years of socialist rule, America goes through a Renaissance. The difference is America elected a real leader and not a chump. We watched for 8 years as our black version of Emmanuel Macron ruined the country. Over $8 trillion worthless dollars printed then pumped into an anemic economy, and the black Boy Wonder felt like a rock star. As one comedian put it, “We told you Obama was Superman, but we forgot to tell you he didn’t know how to fly.”...

One of France’s most revered monuments, the Arc de Triomphe, was stormed and vandalised on Saturday during the 'Yellow Vest' demonstrations, in one of the worst instances of unrest Paris has seen since the protests and riots of 1968. The interior of the Arc de Triomphe, the 19th-century arch that towers over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the western end of Champs Elysées, was ransacked. The statue of the Marianne, the symbol of the French republic, in display at the entrance of the Arc de Triomphe museum was smashed. A video shared on Facebook shows most of the...

BREAKING: WATCH: Paris: A group of French police officers remove their helmets to show solidarity with the French people against President Emmanuel Macron, as anti Macron protests continue throughout France.

Macron held a news conference in Buenos Aires where he said that there was no cause justified the looting of stores, attacking the security forces, or torching of property. Macron totally fails to comprehend that the violence is building frustration that historically is necessary to mature into a revolution. This is not a political movement. This is economically driven. The police said that violent far-right and far-left groups had infiltrated the yellow vests movement in a desperate effort to call them extremists. These protests began as a backlash against Macron’s fuel tax hikes, but have tapped into a growing resentment...

Violent protests ravaged Paris, France on Saturday when French citizens became upset about rising taxes and the high cost of living, USA Today reported. According to police, 133 were injured and 412 were arrested. This isn't the first time violent protests hit the capital. In fact, this is the third straight weekend that violence has taken place in Paris. The violence initially began on Nov. 17th when a gas tax increase was announced. The riots that took place this weekend, however, have been considered to be the worst one in a generation.French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday visited the Arc de...

PARIS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Rioters ran amok across central Paris on Saturday, torching cars and buildings, looting shops, smashing windows and clashing with police in the worst unrest in more than a decade, posing a dire challenge to Emmanuel Macron's presidency. The authorities were caught off guard by the escalation in violence after two weeks of nationwide protests against fuel taxes and living costs, known as the "yellow vest" movement after fluorescent jackets kept in all vehicles in France. In Paris, police said they had arrested almost 300 people while 110 were injured, including 20 members of the security...

'This is the start of a revolution': Paris rioters steal police assault rifle, torch dozens of cars and vow to 'stay in the streets until Christmas' as fuel protests continue into the night and spread across France - and even to Holland 'Yellow Vest' supporters staged fresh protests on the Champs-Elysees which leads to the Arc de Triomphe They vowed to continue rioting until Christmas after riot police used tear gas and water cannon to fight back Dozens of cars were torched, the Arc de Triomphe was graffitied and shops and houses were ransacked French President Emmanuel Macron promised that...

Macron on the Brink: Water Cannon, Tear Gas, and Stun Grenades as ‘Yellow Jackets’ Storm Security Cordons(Full Title) Riot police have deployed water cannon, tear gas, and stun grenades against protesters on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, as the “Yellow Jackets” stage their third major rally against President Emmanuel Macron’s “green” tax hikes on fuel. The clashes on the famous avenue leading to Napoleon Bonaparte’s iconic Arc de Triomphe come as Macron is in Argentina for the G20, threatening to disrupt a planned trade deal between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc over a disagreement with Brazil’s new...

Protesters angry about rising taxes clashed with French police for a third straight weekend and more than 100 were arrested Saturday. Pockets of demonstrators built makeshift barricades in the middle of streets in central Paris, lit fires, sprayed graffiti on the Arc de Triomphe and threw rocks at officers. Protesters, including some wearing black hoods, piled up large plywood planks and other material in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris ablaze. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to try to push back the protesters who gathered around the Arc de...

President Donald Trump’s former tax attorney for over a decade, Edward Burke, had his Chicago office raided by federal agents on Thursday.

In 2015, a high-quality pre-k program was created and funded $118 million by the legislature, with the support of Governor Greg Abbott. In 2017, lawmakers voted not the fund it again, although schools still had to meet the program requirements, even without the money. On the eve of the 2019 legislature, the SBOE recommendation would not only restore the funding, but expand pre-k from half-days to full days.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) late Monday released a 297-page tax and IRS package that would address a host of issues some lawmakers are interested in tackling in the lame-duck session. The legislation includes provisions to renew expired tax provisions, make technical fixes to last year's tax cut law, provide incentives for retirement savings, provide tax relief for disaster victims and make improvements to the IRS. It would provide for a resolution of a number of tax issues in the final weeks of the year while Republicans still control both chambers of Congress. The House Rules...

The Democrats are attempting to con President Trump into a decision that could end his bid for re-election. It’s a horrible idea! The main reason you know it’s a horrible idea is that you are the one they are expecting to pay for it. And when’s the last time that Democrats ever forced you to pay for something you actually wanted? Through politispeak-gobbledygook they have whispered to one another that they can convince President Trump to deliver them a multi-fold win—and, they think to themselves—we can crucify his re-election chances in 2020. They are not wrong. What they are seeking...

The business community is bracing for Democratic proposals to raise the corporate tax rate to pay for infrastructure spending and other priorities. Infrastructure is seen as one of the rare areas where Democrats and President Trump might be able to come to a deal, since both sides have called for improvements to the nation’s roads, railways and bridges. The problem is how to pay for the new spending. Many in Washington expect Democrats to push for a hike in the corporate tax rate, which was slashed under the tax law championed by Trump. “I have no doubt that it will...

WINCHESTER — The Frederick County Transportation Committee on Monday expressed concerns that the county may not get the Interstate 81 improvements it needs to reduce traffic congestion and accidents. The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation are studying the entire length of the I-81 corridor in the Virginia, as directed by the General Assembly, to identify changes that will reduce traffic backups and crashes as well as find the funding to make those changes. The I-81 study team identified 105 projects — valued at $4.25 billion —...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- If a "community grid" is chosen to replace Interstate 81 in downtown Syracuse, what will happen to the land that's now under the aging viaduct's shadow? Whether it will be turned into green space or developed commercially is still an open question, according to city and state officials. A group of local architects is hoping to force the issue. The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects estimated in a recent paper that 18.6 acres of land will be made available if the 1.4-mile elevated highway is taken down. Taking the viaduct down and beefing up...

Looking out the window on icy snow this cold, gray mid-November morning, it is hard not to make the comparison. Minneapolis is looking more and more like Moscow on the Mississippi. Predictions by global warming enthusiasts not withstanding, the weather is not the only similarity. A grayness hovers over Minnesota like a fog. It is a heaviness. It feels oppressive. The gray funk resulting from the reality that the Left has strengthened its grip on this state and its government. The Governor-elect wasted little time announcing that we should brace for the jolt of a hefty tax increase on gasoline....