What income levels are likely to be affected?

Michel Barnier is not considering tax increases on the middle classes, these are comments reported by Gabriel Attal after his interview with the Prime Minister. Who is affected? We take stock of those who are considered middle class.

Nearly one in two French people belong to the middle class, according to the Observatory of Inequalities, which is based on INSEE data. The poorest people represent 30% of French people, the richest 20%, and the middle class therefore brings together the remaining 50%.

But regarding salaries, what makes defining this middle class difficult is that these latest official figures from INSEE date from 2021. It is therefore impossible to know precisely which tax households are affected by a possible tax increase.

In euros, and rounding up a bit, a single person is considered poor if they have a monthly net income of less than 1,000 euros. If they have less than 1,550 euros, they belong to the working class, between 1,550 and 2,800 euros, they enter the middle class, and beyond that, they are considered well-off, and rich if they have more than 3,800 euros.

Knowing that these calculations were established from INSEE data from 2021, these amounts must be readjusted upwards. With inflation and the rise in the minimum wage, today, the middle class is rather between 1,600 and 3,000 euros of monthly net income.

Please note, we are talking about income. Income from work, salary, income from assets, rent received, if you are a homeowner, as well as social benefits, pension or family allowances, for example, are taken into account.

And we are talking about net income, so once the direct deductions – taxes and contributions – have been paid. And this income, obviously, varies according to the composition of the household, whether there are children, elderly people, etc.

According to the 2021 figures, a couple is considered middle class if their income is between 2,300 and 4,200 euros. A household is considered wealthy from 5,800 euros. If the couple has two children, they are middle class between 3,800 and 7,000 euros per month. So, to sum up, if we follow Michel Barnier’s words to the letter, a single person with more than 2,800 euros of net income per month will be likely to see their taxes increase. For a couple without children, it is over 4,200 euros, and with two children, it is over 7,000 euros per month.