Wednesday, August 08, 2012

In France "Les Riches" prepare to vote with their feet

 PARIS — The call to Vincent Grandil’s Paris law firm began like many others that have rolled in recently. On the line was the well-paid chief executive of one of France’s most profitable companies, and he was feeling nervous.

President François Hollande is vowing to impose a 75 percent tax on the portion of anyone’s income above a million euros ($1.24 million) a year. “Should I be preparing to leave the country?” the executive asked Mr. Grandil.

The lawyer’s counsel: Wait and see. For now, at least.

“We’re getting a lot of calls from high earners who are asking whether they should get out of France,” said Mr. Grandil, a partner at Altexis, which specializes in tax matters for corporations and the wealthy. “Even young, dynamic people pulling in 200,000 euros are wondering whether to remain in a country where making money is not considered a good thing.”
Read the rest here.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just trying to prevent pleonexia,( an overeaching desire to have more than one's share).

After all, where will they go for the fine cuisine, health care, child care and other attributes of an advanced civilization?

The Anti-Gnostic said...

The rich don't have to be in any particular location in order to purchase fine cuisine, health care, child care or other goods and services. People will happily sell to them wherever they are.

Anonymous said...

Ag raises a great point - the capitalist class has separated from national loyalties and identification to the point that many will consider moving out of country as a natural act. Anyone who cares about particularity and culture needs to come to terms with the fact that capitalism is the enemy - that is a basic conservative insight.

The Anti-Gnostic said...

the capitalist class has separated from national loyalties and identification to the point that many will consider moving out of country as a natural act.

Most immigrants to the West are poor and middle-class at best. And pride and a proprietary sense of place pre-date the welfare state by many, many centuries. In fact, it is the latter which displaces the former.