Not the right moment for France's proposal

The newspaper comments on Nicolas Sarkozy's demand that the EU Commission lower the value added tax on petroleum: "For Sarkozy, lowering VAT is the solution for the current oil crisis ... even if this could deal a blow to France's national budget. Sarkozy, who will soon take over the EU presidency - and will have Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi as an ally (what an alliance!) - would sell his soul to the devil to regain the sympathy of his countrymen. ... No one denies that petroleum taxes must go down, but a responsible politician should know that now is not the right time for such a move. At present it would only lead to a global price rise. The market is not stupid, and reacts to incentives. Sometimes there is nothing else to do but bide one's time and endure things as they are."

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