Gerard Depardieu says au revoir to high French tax rates
posted at 3:31 pm on February 24, 2013 by Jazz Shaw
Will we soon be scrapping the phrase “Going Galt” for “Going Gerard?” Could be.
MOSCOW — French actor Gerard Depardieu is officially a resident of One Democracy Street in the Russian city of Saransk, about 400 miles east of Moscow.
According to Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, the actor traveled there on Saturday to pick up his residency papers, the last step in his quest to flee France’s new proposal to tax top incomes at 75 percent.
In December, Depardieu appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has maintained a warm relationship, saying he would seek Russian citizenship which would allow him to enjoy the country’s 13 percent flat tax rate.
At an annual press conference Putin said he would give him citizenship if asked and a few weeks later did so by decree.
We can leave aside, for the moment, his choice of Russia as a new home, particularly given the earlier news today. But politics aside, you can see how a 13% flat tax rate would be appealing to somebody who makes as much money as Depardieu when compared to the new, tax and spend rate of 75% he was looking at in France. The French government won’t lose a measurable amount of revenue from one citizen moving out in terms of actual cash, but what they do lose is credibility. The actor remains a very popular figure in his former home country, and the public relations effect of seeing the government’s policies chase him out of the nation can’t be good.
Here in the United States we have people like Phil Mickelson who have considered similar moves, but at least we only have to move to a different state, not give up our citizenship. (At least not yet.) But limiting it to sports figures won’t be enough. What we really need is some of the top earning actors at the Oscars tonight to come out and declare that they’ll be leaving California for lower tax states. Of course, that would bust the entire liberal argument on fiscal policy, so they must be in a bit a conundrum. Ah, the perils of success.
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Epic fail
cmsinaz on May 17, 2013 at 7:58 AM
To be used against ships bring in arms to AQ backed Islamists. From Libya among other places.
It’s not like Russia didn’t warn the WH. Last fall.
MarkT on May 17, 2013 at 7:59 AM
Gee! I recall Romney being made fun of by the Obots for calling Russia one of our biggest geopolitical threats.
iceman1960 on May 17, 2013 at 8:00 AM
The past week’s events are nothing to what is coming over the next three years. I fear for our country and its people.
esr1951 on May 17, 2013 at 8:02 AM
Reset.
iceman1960 on May 17, 2013 at 8:02 AM
Blasted sequester!
Gatsu on May 17, 2013 at 8:03 AM
Will some shackle Obama to the red phone?
Don’t want him again hiding under his bed..
Electrongod on May 17, 2013 at 8:03 AM
Leave it to Obama to make a bad situation worse.
Liam on May 17, 2013 at 8:07 AM
They’ll blame bush somehow
cmsinaz on May 17, 2013 at 8:08 AM
Why hide when you can fundraise??
TO VEGAS!
Gatsu on May 17, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Er, they are an enemy.
Steve Eggleston on May 17, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Where’s Hillary on this?
TimBuk3 on May 17, 2013 at 8:10 AM
That’s all they have. Yet, not even liberals believe that any more.
Liam on May 17, 2013 at 8:10 AM
Flexibility in action
cmsinaz on May 17, 2013 at 8:10 AM
Point of order – Teh SCOAMT believes the Red Phone is the modern equivalent of Mao’s Little Red Book.
Steve Eggleston on May 17, 2013 at 8:10 AM
She’s busy overcharging everybody.
Steve Eggleston on May 17, 2013 at 8:11 AM
Putin is taking advantage while he can. Looking at Dog Eater and Jumpin’ Joe I’m mildly surprised that Pootie hasn’t invaded Alaska.
Bishop on May 17, 2013 at 8:12 AM
The Russians sent their best stuff a while back to “protect” Syria when they were building a nuclear reactor. How did that work out for them?
dogsoldier on May 17, 2013 at 8:12 AM
Why would he? ANWR’s locked up, and the Alaska Pipeline is about to freeze up from lack of oil. Besides, the Soviet Unio…er, Russia hasn’t even really tapped into Siberia’s resources.
Steve Eggleston on May 17, 2013 at 8:15 AM
Is Kerry still waiting for Putin to come to the phone?
workingclass artist on May 17, 2013 at 8:16 AM
With us under Obama, now would be the time, actually.
But the Russians are smart. Obama is unpredictable, even to us. He’s also prone to hissy fits, and weak and mild in other areas.
Liam on May 17, 2013 at 8:17 AM
Were I to make a move as Putin, I’d take Hawaii first, along with all the Aleutian Islands. Then hold.
Liam on May 17, 2013 at 8:18 AM
The picture may be worth MORE than
a thousand words…..
And a certain someone
DOESN’T GET IT
Neal4007 on May 17, 2013 at 8:18 AM
Yup liam
cmsinaz on May 17, 2013 at 8:21 AM
hey I know why don’t we get rid of our nukes that way russia will really really really like us.
freaking idiots in charge of the US.
unseen on May 17, 2013 at 8:23 AM
You’re move President “Gutsy”. Bwahahaha. Pour me a vodka, Dmitry. And one for yourself. Let’s drink a toast to President “Flexible”. Bwahahaha. — Vladimir Putin
farsighted on May 17, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Up until recently, the Soviets, then the Russians, were the main supplier of weapons systems to all of the Arab nations. It’s been their primary market outside their own military. I see nothing different here.
Having said that, unless those cruise missiles are being mounted on mobile launchers, they’ll need SAM sites for protection, and thus be easily recognizable to imaging resources, as well as ESM and other intel systems. If NATO (or some other force) decides these are a danger to them, a preemptive strike to take them out would be at the top of the dance card.
TKindred on May 17, 2013 at 8:25 AM
Still one of the greatest pics of all time, perfectly encapsulating the utter contempt our adversaries have for the limp-wristed fart of a POTUS.
Bishop on May 17, 2013 at 8:26 AM
When weren’t they? The Ruskies been providing arms to our enemies for decades.
fogw on May 17, 2013 at 8:27 AM
You’re thinking as an American strategist.
Obama is neither.
Liam on May 17, 2013 at 8:27 AM
Reds cross red line, Pres. parties with Pink, news at 11…
hillsoftx on May 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM
Russia’s missiles to compliment Obama’s massive influx of ammunition, courtesy of the DHS’s US pilfering.
Lourdes on May 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM
Quit talking to me and go kidnap hubby! *wink~
Liam on May 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM
russia is playing this well. He knows Obama is facing increasing backlash at home, is a squish about intervention and can not find the support for intervention. By doing this Russia is playing a trump card that costs him nothing. He cements his freindship with Assad and with Iran. He makes Russia a player in the middle east as the only power stopping the islamists from over taking the entire ME.
He props himself up in the world showing them that russia is ready to be the foil to the USA once again.
the way Obama should deal with this is a way he can’t take because of politcal/ideolgy reasons namely Obama should approve the keystone pipeline and fasttrack drilling permits putting the shale oil on the market and driving down the price of crude so Russia goes into an economic tailspin.
unseen on May 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM
Why not is the better question. Do it just to slap Dog Eater in the face.
No I really don’t believe the Russians would invade Alaska because even Bark would be dragged to the situation room and forced to issue orders defending our territory. But you know that every one of our foes around the world are thinking the same thing, “Should I go for it, because that dude running the U.S. is a Nancy.”
Bishop on May 17, 2013 at 8:30 AM
I mean this in all seriousness, I do wonder if Obama is making such as easy as possible. He’s all but washed and ironed a welcome mat before carefully laying it in place.
Lourdes on May 17, 2013 at 8:31 AM
In time Liam :)
Gotta to finish up a few things
cmsinaz on May 17, 2013 at 8:32 AM
More like a flirting Nancy. If not a soliciting Nancy.
Lourdes on May 17, 2013 at 8:33 AM
the only thing stopping our enemies at this point is our nukes. Hey guess what Obama wants to get rid of?
unseen on May 17, 2013 at 8:33 AM
Russia is an Realpolitik adversary of the US and the West in the Great Geopolitical Game.
But then, it can be argued, so is Comrade O.
The difference is that Putin is a realist and a former socialist totalitarian authoritarian who has dispensed with the socialist window dressing. Comrade O is an unrealistic idealistic socialist totalitarian authoritarian. Advantage Putin.
farsighted on May 17, 2013 at 8:33 AM
Mentioned this in a post last week…a dig a both JFKerry and Barry, the Light Giver.
Syria is and has been a strategic ally of Russia going back decades. Latakia is viewed as a Russian port on the Med.
Not for one moment will Russia allow some band of hopped up mohammedan jihadis to take over and whilst shouting allahakhbar slaughter Russians in Syria…or anywhere else.
Russia is not going to fall in behind Obama…ever…and especially when doing so would run contrary to Russia’s strategic interests.
The current “problem” in Syria can easily be laid at the feet of our very own Light Giver. Let’s not do the famous Obama redirect to fix blame on Russia, not on this one.
coldwarrior on May 17, 2013 at 8:35 AM
He’s warming up the bull-pen.
fogw on May 17, 2013 at 8:35 AM
Practicing her cackle.
Lourdes on May 17, 2013 at 8:36 AM
“…. And the girly-man is very busy right now with domestic scandals”.
The bad guys were planning to make their moves soon anyway, now that they know he is weak and indecisive. They may conclude the timing will never be better than now, or the immediate future.
farsighted on May 17, 2013 at 8:38 AM
DITTO.
Just community-organizin’!
Lourdes on May 17, 2013 at 8:39 AM
I got your “flexible” right here, Barkski.
Cleombrotus on May 17, 2013 at 8:53 AM
About as well as Mde Hillary visits to the Comrades in the East….
Question: How reliable is this report? Are we sure these are anti-ship missile vs. Surface to Surface? Either will be bad news overall, but Russian AS tech is nothing to take lightly.
They (unlike our own political leaders) have pursued technology that would be fatal to Navy Aircraft Carriers for decades now and make no mistake: we lose one or even a whole Task Force, that negates the slim advantage we have in projecting power globally…
Not to mention reenforcing *any* troop garrisons *ANYWHERE*.
Thought what happened in Benghazi was bad? Multiply that when they deploy American Arms for a Syrian “Police Action” and the Navy has to play catch-up.
Bad enough we can’t even fight a “Win-Hold” strategy, we’ll be lucky if it’s a “Hold until the French Arrive” strategy.
Smart Power abounds at 1600!
BlaxPac on May 17, 2013 at 8:58 AM
Obama’s strategy in Syria is likely to leave al-Queda in charge of the country. Russia is doing us a favor if they keep Assad in power.
thuja on May 17, 2013 at 9:22 AM
I don’t think the USN spends too much time off the Syrian coast anyway, at least not openly. This makes Lebanon the more likely battlefield in the future which as we know is spiked with Hamas fighters to deter that route. At this point, Jordan is the only easy option for entry into Syria, although I’m sure Russia in generating plans for that area as well.
I think the bigger point here is that Russian is doing this just to badger the US. I’m not sure that there are any real significant geopolitical implications for Russia is Assad falls. It’s more Putin just sticking it to the US because he can with Obama in office. This is all the result of a weak president.
Aplombed on May 17, 2013 at 9:25 AM
Now, if America had an actual leader, Poland might just be taking possession of some missiles, about now.
OldEnglish on May 17, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Where are those anti war protesters these days?
alecj on May 17, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Obama’s policy of flexibility enacted.
BLOC on May 17, 2013 at 9:47 AM
As I understand it, we should have more flexibility now.
BobMbx on May 17, 2013 at 9:51 AM
…f l e x i b i l i t y !
KOOLAID2 on May 17, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Wicked smaht power!
Punchenko on May 17, 2013 at 10:17 AM
What lunatic ever claimed Russia was an ally?
These missiles will be important targets for Israel to take out, bet on that.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 10:26 AM
I’d say they took the measure of the man and found him lacking.
AZfederalist on May 17, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Sorry, but while we may not be at war, the Russian government is our enemy. So is the Chinese government. Not recognizing the realities isn’t helpful. They want to drag us down and take our place, and they will do anything they think they can get away with to achieve that goal. That is why Putin is continually baiting and mocking Barky and countering his moves. That is why China engages in cyber warfare.
Wake the f*** up.
novaculus on May 17, 2013 at 11:17 AM
Pizza delivery boys are treated with more courtesy than JF’nK was.
slickwillie2001 on May 17, 2013 at 11:31 AM
Funny you should mention Hawaii – the Russian-American Company made claims in that state.
Steve Eggleston on May 17, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Dunno about Hawaii; the Russian navy is a joke. But Alaska, sure, especially for the oil wealth.
MelonCollie on May 17, 2013 at 10:41 PM