French Rocker Moves to Switzerland to Escape Taxes
From Reuters, via Greg Mankiw,:
"French rocker Johnny Hallyday, one of France's biggest showbusiness stars and a high profile supporter of presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Thursday he was moving to Switzerland to escape French taxes.
"Like a lot of French people, I'm sick of what they make us pay in taxes," the singer told Europe 1 radio on Thursday, a day after his impending departure for Switzerland was first reported by the weekly L'Express.
"I have made my choice, but I love France," he said. "Even if I live elsewhere, I'm still a French citizen. That shouldn't be forgotten."
As was to be expected, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepien was not pleased:
"Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday criticised the famed rocker for moving abroad.
"The idea of leaving France to pay less taxes is not warranted by our country's fiscal situation," Villepin told TF1 television. "All the talents that France has, be they sporting, artistic or industrial, are needed here."
So de Villepien tells him he's wrong to do so, because it is bad for the French government. I really don't think his motives were that altruist or that he was so misguided so as to believe that the best interest of the French government required him to move out of France.
"French rocker Johnny Hallyday, one of France's biggest showbusiness stars and a high profile supporter of presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Thursday he was moving to Switzerland to escape French taxes.
"Like a lot of French people, I'm sick of what they make us pay in taxes," the singer told Europe 1 radio on Thursday, a day after his impending departure for Switzerland was first reported by the weekly L'Express.
"I have made my choice, but I love France," he said. "Even if I live elsewhere, I'm still a French citizen. That shouldn't be forgotten."
As was to be expected, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepien was not pleased:
"Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday criticised the famed rocker for moving abroad.
"The idea of leaving France to pay less taxes is not warranted by our country's fiscal situation," Villepin told TF1 television. "All the talents that France has, be they sporting, artistic or industrial, are needed here."
So de Villepien tells him he's wrong to do so, because it is bad for the French government. I really don't think his motives were that altruist or that he was so misguided so as to believe that the best interest of the French government required him to move out of France.
posted by stefankarlsson at 2:17 PM
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