French President Francois Hollande kept his promise, the day before yesterday, the French Parliament, voting on the budget for 2013, also voted for a new tax rate - on incomes over one million euros, the French will definitely pay a tax of 75 percent.
Fierce polemic
Even before it came into effect, this new rate of taxation caused a veritable exodus of the richest French. The media frenzy has not yet subsided due to the departure of the famous actor Gerard Depardieu, who found refuge in a small Belgian border town, just a kilometer away from the French border, where he recently bought a property, and now, visibly revolted, is selling his properties in France.
Even Russian President Vladimir Putin got involved in the controversy about the rightness of the famous actor's move, who offered Depardieu a Russian passport. Although many public figures condemned his departure due to financial reasons, French film icon Brigitte Bardot came to his defense, and the latest support came from film diva Catherine Deneuve.
This unusual phenomenon of leaving France, which the French media called "tax exodus", was initiated by the richest European, Bernard Arno, owner of the multinational giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group), whose fortune is estimated at more than 41 billion dollars.
He was not only the first to move, but also the first to apply for Belgian citizenship.
However, from the "land of pralines" the richest European recently received an answer that he did not expect. Arno received a reply from the Belgian Department for Foreigners in which his request to obtain Belgian citizenship is rejected because he does not meet the conditions, since in order to exercise this right, he needs to reside continuously in Belgium for at least three years.
But all is not lost, this decision will be further reviewed by the National Parliament's Citizenship Committee, which could change this decision within three months.
The French multibillionaire owns more than 60 of the world's strongest brands (Dior, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Kenzo and Hennessy) and employs around 100.000 people worldwide.
The commission can subsequently grant citizenship if it is determined that the applicant has indissoluble ties with Belgium and if the country can benefit directly from this, from which it can be concluded that a negative answer is, most likely, only a temporary solution for Arno.
Feeling threatened
The list of rich French people who, due to high taxes, decided to find a home in another European country with a more favorable tax system is increasing almost every day. Alain Aflo, the "king of glasses" whose wealth is estimated at 780 million euros, announced his departure to Great Britain these days.
Aflo is the owner of an international chain of eyeglass stores with more than 1200 stores across Europe, whose turnover last year exceeded 800 million euros. Although he himself stated that his departure has nothing to do with avoiding paying taxes in France, coincidentally or not, it is happening in the midst of an exodus of the French rich.
It is estimated that the departure of the richest French people could have a disastrous effect on the state budget as well, because in the next year as much as 24 billion in income is predicted from the increase of various tax rates.
Due to the fact that today many rich people in France feel "threatened" and try to find salvation with their neighbors, some critics compare the effects of Hollande's tax policy with the disastrous consequences suffered by the French kingdom in the 17th century due to the decision of Louis XIV. to ban Protestantism in 1685. The Protestants, whose ranks included top French craftsmen, artisans and merchants, were forced to leave France. Then, for example, court watchmakers found a new refuge in Geneva, and merchants in Amsterdam.
Even then, France was faced with the loss of people who had not only wealth but above all knowledge and skills, which is why it experienced an economic step back.
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