(Adds Sarkozy’s TV appearance on Thursday)

PARIS, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Angry students, mayors of riot-hit suburbs and consumers suffering from rising prices are demanding money from French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Slow growth and tax cuts mean he does not have enough to satisfy them.

“There is no money available in the state budget,” Philippe Marini, senator in Sarkozy’s UMP party, told Le Figaro. “We must not delude ourselves by looking in the state budget for things that cannot be found.”

In Paris housing estates where youths clashed with police this week, officials say they need more cash to tackle unemployment and improve schools and housing.

Students blockading universities want extra money to back education reform. Transport workers who went on strike this month want higher salaries to compensate for pension cuts.

Consumers are also awaiting measures Sarkozy will announce on television on Thursday aimed at putting more money in their pockets.

The 2008 budget will include some 9 billion euros ($13.3 billion) in tax cuts Sarkozy promised during his election campaign to help homeowners, students and encourage overtime work.

But economists say that if the government spends any more money it will send the deficit soaring, hurt the economy and draw more fire from the European Union.

“There is no more money. The government has to find solutions that don’t cost anything,” said Nicolas Bouzou, economist at Asteres consultancy.

The government is predicting a deficit of 2.3 percent of gross domestic product next year, down from 2.4 percent in 2007.

That is based on a growth forecast of 2.0 to 2.5 percent that economists and the European Commission say is unrealistic.

“The budget for next year is very tight. We’re now estimating they will overshoot the budget by a huge margin, giving a deficit of 3.1 percent,” said Alexander Law, economist at Xerfi consultancy.

FOOD AND FUEL

Breaching the European Commission’s 3.0 percent deficit limit when France takes over the EU presidency in July would be an embarrassment that would undermine French credibility.

In his campaign for the May presidential election, Sarkozy promised to be the president of “purchasing power”.

Although official statistics show purchasing power has improved, polls show French people are worried about rising living costs, notably higher petrol, housing and food prices.

This has hurt consumer spending, the main driver of the French economy.

Le Figaro newspaper said Sarkozy could freeze gas prices and government spokesman Laurent Wauquiez said on Sunday he could pressure banks and mobile phone firms to cut their charges, all measures that would require no extra government spending.

“The CFDT (union) is expecting some serious gestures in terms of housing, transport and health, three areas of spending which are weighing more and more in household budgets,” the union’s leader Francois Chereque told Le Parisien newspaper.

Sensing the government’s problems, the opposition Socialists have called for a 50 percent rise in a subsidy that encourages people to remain in work. (Reporting by Anna Willard; Editing by Jon Boyle and Robert Woodward)