File This One Under "Out of the Frying Pan; Into the Fire!"

(c) 2012 by Tom King


(c) Yahoo News


Yahoo News reports that portly French actor Gerard Depardieu has fled France because of it's confiscatory 75% tax rate on wealthy French citizens - a rate that made Obama supporter Will Smith almost fall off his chair.  When a French interviewer asked him if he approved of higher tax rates for the wealthy. When he said yes, the interviewer asked if he approved of tax rates for the wealthy like France's, Will asked what the rate was and was told 75%, Will had a one word responce.....

"Damn!"

Depardieu has publicly fled France to avoid its brutal tax rate drawing ire from progressives everywhere who call him a traitor to his country and demand that he stand and take it in the wallet (for his love of France, of course).  Depardieu, meanwhile has approached Russia's Vladimir Putin asking for Russian citizenship. He's flown to Sochi where he's planning to meet Putin and apparently will recieve his Russian passport.

He may be out of the fat and into the fire, though.  Putin is fighting a battle with the Russian legislature over a 75% tax on the wealthy of their own. Putin may see bringing Depardieu to Russia as an "I told you so." move to bolster his argument against kicking up the tax rate.  Unfortunately, the Russian legislature has its share of communists and labor representatives who would like nothing better than to engage in some Soviet-style wealth redistribution.

Depardieu would do well to come up with a get-outta-Dodge plan just in case he needs to move again before the Russkies put the barbed wire back up along the borders.

It's interesting that Depardieu hasn't considered moving to the US.  Perhaps he's seen the handwriting on the American wall.  Now would be a good time to start an independent tax haven on some lovely island somewhere.  Think of all the actors that would soon be living in your new country. Legalize pot and cocaine and you'd have a thriving economy.

Tom King