5 days ago
YAHOO POLL: Does cutting public holidays help boost the economy?
French prime minister, Francois Bayrou has made headlines for his plans to cancel two public holidays as part of radical measures to reduce France's ballooning deficit, boost its economy and manage debt.
Bayrou has suggested scrapping Easter Monday and 8 May (a day commemorating the end of World War II in Europe) which would leave France with nine national holidays.
The French PM believes two extra days of working would add "several billions of euros" to the country but the proposition has been met with fierce criticism from the political left and far right – and calls for Bayrou to face another no-confidence vote.
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But it has also gained some support.
An opinion piece in The Telegraph urged Britain's chief financial minister Rachel Reeves to reconsider national holidays in the UK. "Our debt level is dangerously close to 100% of GDP (in France it's 110%) and we too have a serious productivity problem and every reason to worry about the sustainability of our public finances," wrote Jill Kirby in the piece.
Bayrou's idea is that working two extra days will generate more revenue for the government but economic studies suggest it won't be as simple as that. In fact, there are also studies which conclude that leisure – or an increase in public holidays – can act as an economic boost, up to a certain point.
So, we want to know: Does cutting public holidays help boost the economy?
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