Sarah Knafo, a member of the French political party Reconquête and wife of politician Eric Zemmour, has written a book titled Le Casse du siècle (The Century's Scandal), in which she criticizes public spending in France as a "catastrophe of the century." In her argument, she uses the example of a fictional French worker named Nicolas Durand. According to Knafo, Nicolas's employer contributes 3,922 euros per month to social security, but he only receives 2,079 euros in take-home pay. She describes the 1,843 euro difference as a "prejudice" to the worker. Over a 43-year career, she claims this amounts to nearly 940,500 euros, which could reach over one million euros if invested. Economist Antoine Bozio acknowledges that employer contributions do reduce net pay but emphasizes that these funds support essential services like pensions, unemployment benefits, and healthcare. He argues that labeling these contributions as a "prejudice" is misleading unless an alternative system could offer the same benefits at a lower cost. Bozio also notes that investing such sums outside of retirement is impractical, as it would mean forgoing the insurance coverage these funds provide. Knafo also criticizes the government's spending on security and justice, claiming 15 billion euros is wasted annually due to "laxity." Her argument is based on the statistic that 40.3% of people convicted of crimes are recidivists. However, demographer Annie Kensey points out that this percentage reflects the share of repeat offenders among those convicted, not the proportion of all cases or spending. She argues that applying this rate to the entire budget is flawed, as there is no data on how much of the security and justice budget is specifically allocated to recidivists. In addition, Knafo claims that 3.7 million public employees are unnecessary, excluding six essential professions like teachers and police. She proposes cutting 800,000 positions over five years, estimating annual savings of 40 billion euros. François Ecalle, a public finance expert, acknowledges that some savings are possible but questions the feasibility of such a large reduction without substantial reorganization. He notes that not all 3.7 million are bureaucrats, with many working in local government on tasks like infrastructure and cultural projects. Knafo compares France's 5.9 million public employees to the combined workforce of Amazon and Walmart, suggesting that France has more public workers per capita. However, this comparison overlooks the different roles of public institutions and private companies. While both provide services, public employees often handle tasks that are not profit-driven, such as public safety, education, and infrastructure.