France: We should be careful to use actual facts and figures

In the debate on the economic and social policies needed in France, we too often hear incorrect statements that do not correspond to the statistically observed reality. These include for example: Income distribution, which has not become skewed against wage earners in France; Income inequalities which, after redistribution, are neither high (compared with other countries) nor rising in France; The share of capital income in total French household income, which has decreased and not increased; The share of dividends paid by non-financial corporations, which has not increased; The origin of France’s external deficit and deindustrialisation, which is not due to globalisation (trade with emerging countries), but to trade with the other euro-zone countries; The purchasing power of French households, which has not declined even when forced spending is taken into account; Corporate debt, which has not increased if corporate cash reserves are taken into account; The public debt, which has not increased if we take into account the central bank's holding of public debt.