French weekly magazines review

It's taxes, taxes and taxes in this week's French magazines.

Last week, Prime Minister jean-Marc Ayrault got the ball rolling by announcing plans to reform the country's notoriously complex tax system. One suggestion is deducting income tax on the pay cheque. Currently, income taxes are calculated and paid as lump sums in the year following the earnings.

Right-wing Le Figaro Magazine says Ayrault's promise of a tax system overhaul didn't really convince anyone. According to a recent poll, 50 percent of French citizens think the announcement is just a trick, says Le Figaro Magazine.

L'Express also talks about tax overhaul. Ayrault surprised everyone, even its own government by announcing the reform, the magazine explains.

L'Express believes the decision was taken by the Prime Minister in order to save his own skin. That's why, explains the weekly, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici was not told about the move. It's unsure whether this new tax reform will improve Ayrault's disastrous ratings polls. Some members of the government doubt the reform will be successful, says L'Express.

"Short lived effects" headlinesLe Canard Enchainé, as the satirical weekly criticises the planned tax system overhaul. "The announcement helped the government's approval ratings" explains the paper, adding that the ratings upswing will only be temporary because "the reform is going to be a complicated one."

There is a surprising article in this week’s Marianne about Luxembourg. "Take Luxembourg out of Europe" reads the headline. The OECD has described the Grand Duchy has a tax haven, says the left-wing magazine, and now it's time to take action. Because of banking secrecy in Luxembourg, other EU members have lost more than 1,800 billion euros in 20 years.

That's 480 billion for France only, says the weekly. So maybe it would have been better to threaten Luxembourg instead of Greece, Marianne says.

In International news, left-wing Le Nouvel Observateur headlines on the French stance during talks on Iran's nuclear program in Geneva last week. If France took a hard line during the negotiations with Iran, it was because Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius wanted to make it impossible for Israel to find a reason to attack Tehran, explains the weekly.

"Our goal was to ask for a halt to the construction of the Arak reactor before Israel started bombing it" a member of the delegation tells Le Nouvel Obs.

Elsewhere in this week's Nouvel Observateur. According to the weekly, France can thank Michel Lhuillier, a French businessman based in Cebu, for the transportation and delivery of food and goods to people affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Lhuillier apparently provided a helicopter as well as land and buildings to the French army.

"Thanks to him, France saved 90% of what it would have normally cost if the country had to hire a regular logistics company" says Louis Thévenin, the director of the Alliance Française of Cebu.

Right-wing Le Point is talking about football this week.

"Football, the French are the best" reads the headline. Before you say anything, the weekly is not talking about France's national football team, but about French football managers. Le Point takes the example of Hervé Renard, Zambia's national team manager, who led the team to victory last year in the Africa Cup. Among others are Laurent Blanc, the manager of French side Paris Saint-Germain, and Didier Deschamps, coach of the French national football team.

They are all humanists, good listenners and they know when to step aside, concludes Le Point.

And finally, back to L'Express, there is a surprisingly nice editorial from Christophe Barbier.

The journalist doesnt usually have kind words for the French government, but his editorial this week celebrates one of its ministers. Family Minister Dominique Bertinotti this week revealed she had breast cancer. "The testimony of the minister on her cancer is precious" says Barbier, adding that, by telling the world about her personal experience, she is more helpful to French society than the rest of her colleagues.