France

Over the past several years, implementation of IMF recommendations has been lacking not so much in intention as in pace and timing owing to political economy considerations and a strong social preference for publicly provided services. The discussions focused on how to foster a durable economic recovery while tackling long-standing threats to fiscal sustainability. The authorities were attentive to the possible adverse short-term effects of underlying fiscal adjustment on growth. The authorities acknowledged that containing health care spending growth would be a key challenge.Article IV consultations;Economic conditions;pension, pension reform, health care, fiscal consolidation, fiscal sustainability, tax rates, tax cuts, national accounts, tax burden, tax system, public debt, fiscal adjustment, labor force, taxation, pensions, expenditure restraint, fiscal transparency, long-term fiscal sustainability, expenditure growth, contribution period, public finances, fiscal discipline, fiscal stabilizers, retirement, tax credit, government spending, structural adjustment, social security spending, local taxes, early retirement, central government spending, contingent liabilities, supervisory authorities, tax policy, fiscal stance, tax revenue, tax revenues, structural fiscal, fiscal strategy, tax structure, fiscal outlook, life insurance, government deficit, fiscal autonomy, share of public spending, tax rate, pension spending, pension regime, retirement age, risk management, current pension, tax wedge, local fiscal autonomy, health care system, budget deficit, tax reform, expenditure increases, fiscal shock, fiscal position, additional pension, tax base, high tax burden, debt service, company pension, legal framework, interest expenditure, pension liabilities, guaranteed returns, pension costs, life expectancy, investment returns, fiscal consequences, fiscal costs, public spending, pension contributions, pension regimes, tax wedge on labor, environmental taxes, wage growth, budgetary implications, health system, fiscal policy, pension reforms, fiscal balance, insurance supervision, tax reductions, electronic form, taxes on labor, government revenue, fiscal deficit, fiscal framework, fiscal rules, annual accounts, replacement rates