Guardian
“I am leaving because you believe that success, creation, talent, anything different must be sanctioned”
A popular and colourful figure in France, the 63-year-old actor is the latest wealthy Frenchman to seek shelter outside his native country by buying a house just over the border in Belgium in response to tax increases by the Socialist president, François Hollande.
The prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, described Depardieu’s behaviour as pathetic and unpatriotic at a time when the French are being asked to pay higher taxes to reduce a bloated national debt.
“Pathetic, you said pathetic? How pathetic is that?” Depardieu said in a letter to the weekly newspaper le Journal du Dimanche.
“I am leaving because you believe that success, creation, talent, anything different must be sanctioned,” he said.
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What get’s me is the arrogance of the left, in expecting the successful to just lie there and take it.
OldEnglish on December 16, 2012 at 9:38 PM
Ha! Would that I could say that in an exit interview should I ever find more lucrative work than I’m doing now.
Jeddite on December 16, 2012 at 9:38 PM
I almost want a 75% income tax and a wealth tax just to see all the Hollywood leftists whine about it.
Mark1971 on December 16, 2012 at 9:45 PM
Make it 80% so they can finally move to France.
Jeddite on December 16, 2012 at 9:46 PM
Asked to pay higher taxes? Since when has a government ever ASKED anything
clippermiami on December 16, 2012 at 9:56 PM
There’s a reason why commie countries eventually build fences.
Xasprtr on December 16, 2012 at 9:57 PM
They are arrogant. Obama is arrogant. Pelosi, Reid, and ObamaCare were arrogant.
Paul-Cincy on December 16, 2012 at 10:02 PM
Same word choice as Obama — “ask the wealthy to pay a little more”. How deeply dishonest. If you’re going to do something, believe something, stand for something, back something … at least be honest about it. Taking money under threat of fines and imprisonment. There’s no “ask”.
Paul-Cincy on December 16, 2012 at 10:04 PM
Surprised to hear this sort of honesty; the tax angle is usually played down in these high-profile moves.
theperfecteconomist on December 16, 2012 at 10:10 PM
Gerard is as lefty as they come but even he is calling time on outright robbery.
Mon dieu…
CorporatePiggy on December 16, 2012 at 10:19 PM
A free man, a man actually, a rare animal these days
Schadenfreude on December 16, 2012 at 10:24 PM
TOP-10 “ONLY IN AMERICA” OBSERVATIONS — BY A CANADIAN*
1) Only in America could the rich people – who pay 86% of all income taxes – be accused of not paying their “fair share” by people who don’t pay any income taxes at all.
2) Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black
Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal workforce is black while only 12% of the population is black
3) Only in America could they have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee, BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.
4) Only in America can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.
5) Only in America would they make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just ‘magically’ become American citizens.
6) Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country’s Constitution be thought of as “extremists.”
7) Only in America could you need to present a driver’s license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.
8) Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).
9) Only in America could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year – for total spending of $7-Million PER MINUTE, and complain that it doesn’t have nearly enough money.
10) Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 a plate campaign fund-raising event.
Schadenfreude on December 16, 2012 at 10:31 PM
Good stuff.
Paul-Cincy on December 16, 2012 at 10:42 PM
Google’s CEO transferred billions, nearly 10 of them, into the islands, calling it “capitalism”, laughing at Obama, yes, the same idiot he rallied for.
Schadenfreude on December 16, 2012 at 10:43 PM
Depardieu, I salute you
entagor on December 16, 2012 at 10:44 PM
“Pay or go to jail,” is not “asking.”
Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on December 16, 2012 at 10:57 PM
The politicians spend the money and then blame their debt on the taxpayers.
It is the same all over the world.
NeoKong on December 16, 2012 at 11:02 PM
Apparently the Frogs forgot that there are always alternate choices. Like moving to Belgium.
gryphon202 on December 16, 2012 at 11:09 PM
He’s literally “going Galt.”
njrob on December 16, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Nothing to see here. The French have a long and glorious history of eating their own. He should just be thankful they no longer burn people at the stake or chop off their heads on the guillotine.
CJ on December 17, 2012 at 12:55 AM
Who is John de Gaul…t
Boogeyman on December 17, 2012 at 3:46 AM
I’m guessing the wine and bean choices may be a little better…
Kraken on December 17, 2012 at 4:37 AM
When did the frogs grow a pair? Did they use some sort of special developmental fertilizer or something? Cos lets face it, this is unprecedented.
tommy71 on December 17, 2012 at 8:11 AM
Since they put it that way, “asking” . They got his answer, hell no, take this passport and shove it. Another lefty gets smacked by reality and realizes what it means to be free. Waiting to see how much euros France loses next year.
AH_C on December 17, 2012 at 8:39 AM
“The Frogs” didn’t grow a paid. Gerard Depardieu did. Most of the rest of the cheese eating surrender monkeys will resign themselves to a horrible fate as they are slowly crushed by their oppressive bureacracy.
gryphon202 on December 17, 2012 at 8:42 AM
gryphon, from previous reports, the “rich” were quietly exiting France cos they knew that if they spoke up, the socialists would spin it as “unpatriotic”. Now that someone has forcefully and courageosly articulated their views, I expect it to be like a dam bursting. The rest will finally have the courage to speak out too. They needed someone to break the dam of silence. Lets see.
tommy71 on December 17, 2012 at 8:53 AM
Don’t hold your breath. The French haven’t historically been known for the size of their brassies. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if many of those wealthy ex-pat Frogs took to badmouthing Depardieu simply to defelect attention from themselves.
gryphon202 on December 17, 2012 at 8:58 AM