Parisians
have never been penny pinchers with the exception perhaps of Etienne de
Silhouette, King Louis XV’s finance minister who attempted to balance the
nation’s budget by melting down all items made of gold and silver. Thankfully, reasonable
minds prevailed. He was so cheap that he became the symbol of frugality gone
awry and of “silhouettes,” shadow profile portraits cut from black paper that
were cheaper than real portraits.
Parisians
are in love with spending and national financial generosity with other people’s
money, better known as socialized welfare. They feel so strongly about their
generous government benefits that they kicked out President Sarkozy last year
and elected the socialist Francois Hollande who promised them even more welfare
and a roll back of the retirement age that Sarkozy had set at 62.
President
Hollande is not backing down on his promise to tax those who make 1 million
euros or more a year at 75 percent even though France’s Constitutional Council
declared the tax unconstitutional. The French government announced a revised tax
version for 2013. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/30/world/europe/gerard-depardieu-stirs-belgian-border-town.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
Gérard Depardieu, actor and producer, has had enough of
the outrageous fleecing, so he decided to turn in his French passport and move
to a sleepy little village in Néchin, Belgium.
Vladimir Putin offered him a Russian passport although it is unclear if Mr. Depardieu accepted.
A flat tax of 13 percent in Russia seems more appealing than the 75 percent marginal
tax rate for the rich in France. Gérard Depardieu, who owns about
a dozen vineyards around the world, a wine label, and a superb movie career, is
not a tax dodger; the 64-year old movie producer has paid his lion’s share of
taxes in the last 45 years, $192 million to be exact.
The
optician chain tycoon, Alain Afflelou, has planned to flee Paris for England to
escape President Hollande’s 75 percent marginal tax, joined by thousands other
French millionaires. David Cameron was prepared to roll out the red carpet for
the expatriates. A Victoria Secret model, restaurateur Alain Ducasse, and singer
Johnny Hallyday have already left France. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2185231/High-earners-planning-leave-France-75-tax-rate-income-1million-euros-goes-ahead.html#ixzz2K8nAvjP3)
President Francois Hollande and his energy
minister, Delphine Batho, would like to turn off lights in and outside public
buildings, offices, and stores after 1 a.m. Paris will literally no longer be
the city of lights and romantic glow. This is not good for the tourist
industry. However, robbers and pick-pockets will thrive. And there are plenty
of them in Paris.
Energy minister Batho touted the energy
savings from lights-out and the French “sobriety.” Everyone will be sober
figuratively and literally, as few will dare go out in the dark to their
favorite cafes and restaurants. A new rule passed in July 2012 required
businesses to turn off lights between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. as part of the plan to
reduce energy consumption 20 percent by 2020. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2254565/Lights-turned-France-save-money-sobriety.html#ixzz2K8oeGQaV)
The
national pastime of drinking wine and dining with friends late at night may
suffer. King Louis XVI believed that persons not drinking wine are fanatics. He
blamed the French Revolution on the fact that its leader, Robespierre, drank
only water. (David Hoffman, Little Known Facts about Paris, 2008)
The
draconian measure to turn off lights at night seems extreme since France generates
over 75 percent of its electricity needs from nuclear power and 17 percent from
recycled nuclear fuel. France is the largest net exporter of electricity because
the cost of generating it is very low. The exportation of electricity provides 3
billion euros a year in revenue. (http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html)
Who
needs illumination in the City of Lights when the French are unwilling to give
up their stellar early retirements, lifetime employment, generous pensions, 5
weeks paid vacations, two year paid maternity leave, subsidized elegant
housing, two week spa treatments disguised as health care, and shortened work
weeks? Socialized welfare lifestyle is grand until the government runs short of
money, corners are cut, and the lavish generosity must be scaled back.
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