> The taxes are so extreme and salaries so low that no one can even invest in the stock market. There's a special "retirement plan by actions" (PEA) with lower

> The taxes are so extreme and salaries so low that no one can even invest in the stock market. There's a special "retirement plan by actions" (PEA) with lower capital gains tax, and the reason why most French people don't invest in the stock market is mostly lack of education around it. For most, real estate is the main way of investing/saving money. The stock market is dangerous and you can lose everything, and many have personal references (their parents/themselves bought stock from efforts such as the Eurotunnel that failed, financially) to that effect.