The French Government announced on Friday a new tax increase amounted to 3.5 billion in 2011, reported Financial Times. The total increase in tax revenue next year will reach 13.2 billion, ahead of Germany’s program to reduce the budget deficit amounting to 11 billion euros in 2011. Revenue from the increase, however, retreated to the increase in VAT by 2,5 percentage points in Britain next year, which is expected to bring 12.1 billion pounds (14.7 billion). The series of tax increases to reduce budget deficit expected for this year’s 8 percent of GDP to 6% in 2011 as promised to the European Union (EU). The plans are based on forecast economic growth of 2.5 percent next year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the EU and many economists are optimistic about. The last tax increase should reassure the financial markets, but not cause panic in society. Earlier in the month the French government announced increased taxes on business and the rich worth 3.7 billion euros to help fill the deficit in the pension system. Paris still hopes to collect 1 billion in 2011 from the new bank tax.
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France is now officially part of the gas pipeline project South Stream. This became clear after French energy giant Electricite de France (EDF) signed a contract with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom to join consortium building the gas pipeline South Stream. News was delivered personally by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is visiting in France. We recall that speculation on the participation of France to be strengthened through direct September, and then wrote to the Russian press. At last unofficial information France will take 10% of the company managing the project. At this stage, Gazprom and Italy’s Eni, divided in equal participation in it. The pipeline aims to diversify supply routes of Russian gas to European Union, bypassing Ukraine. Power of the pipeline system will be 63 billion cubic meters. South Stream project envisages the construction of underwater pipe that will link the Bulgarian Black Sea with the Russian coasts. Pipeline from Bulgaria will be divided into two sections. The first would have notified the south of Greece and Italy, and others will continue to the northwest to Central Europe.
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The index of investor confidence in the euro zone rose to -12.6 points in October from -14.6 points in September. This is the highest value of the index of July 2008, it is clear from the data of the research institute Sentix. Economists had predicted a slightly stronger growth of the barometer of investor confidence to -12 points. The index recorded a monthly increase for the seventh last eight months under the influence of expectations that Europe’s economic situation will improve. Moreover, the uncertainty of investors regarding the U.S. economy has disappeared. Increases significantly and their assessment for developing economies, particularly those from Latin America. The study of Sentix was conducted in early September, among the 3 thousand individual and institutional investors. It reveals that their optimism for the future is growing again because of the expectations index rose by 5.75 points to 5.5 points for September. Assessment of current economic conditions rose to -29.25 to -32.75 points points.
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