CFN – I was never much of a fan of Gérard Depardieu. I always found him a ham, loud, as though acting to him was YELLING which while an element in the pantheon of acting is not the norm.
Well Mr. Depardieu looks like he’s about to become a Citizen and passport holder of Russia where they have a 13% flat tax compared to some of the psycho taxes the current French Regime is talking of dumping on the public.
Many are doing quicky moves to places like Belgium. Tax evasion in Europe is not new. Nor is it rare in Canada and the US where LIQUID TONS of money is hidden offshore.
Poor infrastructure, weakening healthcare, crap economy and gutted middle class while Trillions sit safely in banks hidden from the tax man who’s busy giving tax cuts to the 1%
Maybe Mr. Depardieu knows something after all? Tax Fairness is not a new question. Elections are bought and won by Corporate entities are more than they are by the common dirty smelly voter that wonders which flavour of Ramen noodles they’ll eat tonight or which iPhone they’ll go into debt over.
Feed the masses American Idol while the economy is gutted and your food is poisoned. Not a problem.
It comes down to accountability and that seems an impossible thing to accomplish. Iceland did with its bank flops, but you won’t see many headlines about that.
We’re relatively lucky here in Canada unless you were one of the poor boobs who took $50 to test Monsanto Cucumbers and lost your pubic hair, but I digress, we are relatively lucky here in Canada.
Mr. Depardieu states that he’s given the government of France over 145M Euros over the last 45 years. He has a right to state his opinion and move, but does it really make any sense?
Everyone should pay their fair share of tax and the tax system should be an incentive to make more money. I’m a Capitalist at heart, but surely having a healthier and wealthier society is much better for business overall than just centering on a few industries ripe with corruption?
What’s wrong with having a strong middle class anyway? You don’t have to have a MBA to understand that the lower an person’s income the higher percentage that’s spent on local economies.
Nick Hanauer stated it far better than I could ever:
We need our rich to pay a fair share of tax. We need their wealth in our economy, not offshore. There is a balance, an economic point of Nirvana where it all works.
What are we afraid of? Why do we allow the system to decay the way it is and keep sinking our society? Just so we can buy cheap socks at Wal-Mart?
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Why do individuals believe that robbery is an honest means to earn a living. Because it is more cost effective and efficient to take someone else’s property by violence than to earn it by consenting trade merit. Looters and plunderers keep taking the fruits of other peoples labour until the Gardener ceases to produce cucumbers. Defending one’s life, property and earned benefits from parasites is a natural self preservation phenomena. Capital is very liquid, it will hide from vultures and go where it is treated with respect. Mr. Gérard Depardieu is “Going Galt”. Good for him.
http://www.atlassociety.org/atlas-shrugged/going-galt