Georges-Louis Bouchez returned, in the pages of Sudinfo and DH, to one of the MR's major commitments: guaranteeing a gap of at least €500 between work and social income. While some commentators question the apparent absence of measures in favour of workers in the “big Easter agreement”, the MR President confirms it: this key reform is indeed on the agenda, and its first effects will be visible as early as 2026!
No, the project has not been buried. And no, it is not about a uniform €500 net increase for all workers, as some have caricatured it. What the MR has defended from the outset is a minimum income gap of €500 between those who work and those who don't. A goal to be achieved through two levers: on one hand, a deep tax reform to boost work pay, and on the other, better control of social benefits, through a register of benefits and caps to avoid excesses.
From the 2026 budget, several very concrete measures will come into force: a €5 billion tax cut on labour, a €1.7 billion reduction in social contributions, and a knock-on effect on net wages. In schematic terms, Georges-Louis Bouchez explains: “We're looking at a ratio of 40% income increase for the worker and 60% impact for the unemployed, i.e. +€200 versus -€300.” This gap doesn't even factor in the effect of indexation, which benefits workers more and will further widen this gap!
This reform is essential. It is not about setting people against each other, but about rewarding effort, valuing commitment, and making work ever more attractive. It's a matter of fairness, but also of social and economic coherence. As GLB reminds us: “Surely we can't be blamed for not implementing the entire government agreement in barely two months!”
This €500 reform will not just be an announcement, but a structural, lasting change for the benefit of those who keep our country running. The government has five years to act. The MR, for its part, is already at work!
It is out of the question to keep tolerating situations where social benefits rise faster than work income, and this indefinitely. We must put an end to the inconsistencies that undermine trust in the system. For the MR, these will be promises kept.