Depardieu, in Tax Fight, Gets Russian Citizenship - NYTimes.com

It’s been so long since I heard about Depardieu, in reading this headline I literally thought “did he get in a sex scandal or something?” Turns out nope, just being greedy. Can Russia take the Koch brothers too while they’re at it?

(via rickwebb)

Greedy. Really? The Socialists imposed a 75% tax on his income and he voted with his feet. Sounds like the most efficient application of capital available to him was the train ticket to Belgium.

(via secondverse)

Those feet that the state took care of, on a train the state paid for, with a new citizenship he got from the talents the state fostered, both in schools and through their robust film program… 

And since when does the “efficient allocation of capital” conflict with greed? It can certainly be both. Though I’d debate whether giving far-more-corrupt Russia even 15% is all that efficient of an allocation. 

(via rickwebb)

The French courts have already ruled the way the tax was targeted as unconstitutional, and an insult to the idea that the tax burden should be equally shared. Depardieu was quoted as having already paid several tens of millions of Euros in taxes in his adulthood - in your estimation, has he reimbursed (!) the government for his use of their trains, schools and film program? Does his cultural diplomacy over the last 30 years of his career account for the debt you apparently believe he owes to the state?

Capital flight occurs when the value provided by staying is overwhelmed by the native expenses of same. As anyone who has moved from Manhattan to another borough over the last 30 years might explain. That ain’t greed - it’s common sense.