French Farmers Take to Streets Over Hollande's Tax Hikes

French farmers have taken to the streets in outrage against President Francois Hollande's controversial tax policies, as the embattled leader struggles to save France's economy.

A total of seven roadblocks were set up in the Paris region with a fireman being killed at one of them and six other people being injured in a separate accident, according to the French media outlet France 24.

"I don't think this is the right way to express one's views. We are always open to dialogue," said Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper.

The farmers' protests are the latest revolts against increased levies imposed on small businesses by Hollande's government.

France has been struggling to control its chronic economic stagnation and high public spending.

Recently, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced plans to reform his country's tax system in time for the 2015 budget.

Frustration over tax and unemployment has dragged Hollande's approval rating to 20%, the lowest score for a post-war president, an Ifop poll showed.

In September 2013, French unemployment topped the three million mark during the second quarter, while the eurozone currency bloc as a whole began to emerge from recession.

Subsidies for French Farmers and the EU

The protests by farmers must be seen in the context of subsidies they have received from the European Union (EU) over many years.

The EU announced in June that it will save billions of euros over the next seven years by slashing large farm subsidy payments by nearly half.

Under the current system, industrial-scale grain producers in France's Paris basin disproportionately benefit from receiving payments, as their outputs were among the highest in Europe between 2000 and 20002.

After representatives of the European Parliament, EU governments and the European Commission thrashed out a deal to axe payments to farms by a maximum of 40% between 2014 and 2020.

The EU currently forks out €50bn (£45.5bn, $65.6bn) in payments under its farming policy and will continue to siphon three-quarters of the total farm budget in the six years to 2020.

Even under the new reforms, agriculture will remain the EU's largest overall expense. It will consume nearly 40% of the EU's €960bn budget for the reform period.