Think you can raise taxes without negative consequences? Consult Gerard Depardieu.
The great French actor (known for his prominent schnozz) moved across the border to Belgium, and is giving up his French passport. While other well-off folks who have moved out of their native land, such as billionaire Bernard Arnault, pretend that their moves are for non-tax reasons, Depardieu has no problem admitting that he’s leaving his country to avoid next year’s whopping new wealth tax.
For this, he has been criticized by France’s prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, who publicly censured Depardieu for a lack of patriotism “at a time of cutbacks” and judged the actor’s decision “shabby.”
“Paying a tax is an act of solidarity,” Ayrault intoned on TV, “a patriotic act.”
Depardieu rightly objects, accusing the socialist government of President Francois Hollande of “driving France’s most talented figures out of the country”:
“I am leaving because you consider that success, creation, talent, anything different, must be punished,” he said.
Depardieu said that during his long career he had paid 145m euros (£118m) to the French taxman.
“At no time have I failed in my duties. The historic films in which I took part bear witness to my love of France and its history,” he said.
But it’s hard to maintain “solidarity” with a beloved country going socialist. Depardieu will find a lot of sympathy with his plight from even not-so-rich Americans. You know, we who put freedom and achievement and principle above kleptocracy.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “An Actor’s Act”
Gerard is a patriot and acting to help his country over the long run by discouraging its continuing self-destruction. In the present world Atlas does not shrug, he moves.
Wanna-be-wolves are seldom happy with the decisions of don’t-wanna-be-sheep.
Bingo. Like a Hollywood version of of Atlas Shrugged. Send all these unpatriotic ingrates to the Gulag.
Seem a comment I made in a recent post- about the 1,000 non cuts– where cuts can be made- that should take SOME strain out of the deficit– and I DO NOT know all of the subsiies, payoffs etc-these were off the top of my head.
And while I am harassed for pennies, people ssuch as Buffett are said to owe millons – but are politically connected.
A simplistic article but easy to understand. If our President gets his taxation way, everyone will be punished. The crippling death tax is the most absurd & is tantamount to a quadruple tax; since you are taxed when you earn it. Taxed when you save it. Taxed when you spend it & then in death again. Cut the loopholes in the system. & stop punishing success. It’s all sad, depressing & wrong.
Mons. Depardieu had the option of voting with his feet, something that our wise founders tried to give us, so that the individual republics in our federation of republics would have to compete and we might conveniently leave if they became too oppressive. A lot harder to do within an over-reaching central oligarchy controlling everything. Despite the later instilled progressive pledge to “THE republic for which it stands”, we are guaranteed in the Constitution to be a collection of republics.