During the Cold War, People from Russia and Eastern Europe fled to Western Europe to escape Economic totalitarianism. In an ironic twist of history, the reverse is now occurring. French actor Gerad Depardieu has left France and has obtained Russian citizenship. He did this because of the heavy taxes and regulation of France. Russia has a very Market friendly tax system his gave Depardieu the incentive to move to there.
MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin has cast Gerard Depardieu in one of the most surprising roles of his life — as a new Russian citizen.
The announcement Thursday that President Vladimir Putin has approved Depardieu’s application for citizenship is almost a real-life analogue to the French actor’s 1990 comedy “Green Card,” in which his character enters into a sham marriage in order to work in the United States.
But in this version, taxes appear to be at the heart of the matter. Depardieu has waged a battle against a proposed super tax on millionaires in his native country.
French President Francois Hollande plans to raise the tax on earned income above €1 million ($1.3 million) to 75 percent from the current 41 percent, while Russia has a flat 13-percent tax rate.
[….]
“The distinctiveness of our tax system is poorly known about in the West. When they know about it, we can expect a massive migration of rich Europeans to Russia,” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin bragged on Twitter.
An irony of history!
