Gérard Depardieu - Tax dodger

[leicsmac]

As you probably guessed I was making a point.

Just because I don't have a problem with footballers and film stars earning big money it doesn't follow that I think teachers and doctors should be poorly paid. They've put in the hard yards, they deserve whatever they can get.

Then is it possible that the system that governs this is unfair and could do with change?

[Webbo]

Then is it possible that the system that governs this is unfair and could do with change?

The market decides. You may not like it, you might not think it's fair, but it's the only system that works.

[Captain...]

The market decides. You may not like it, you might not think it's fair, but it's the only system that works.

It clearly doesn't work as the distribution of wealth in this country is horrendously inequal and being a hardworking diligent worker is no guarantee of a living wage.

[leicsmac]

The market decides. You may not like it, you might not think it's fair, but it's the only system that works.

Fair enough. Personally I think it works in the barest terms of keeping society functioning, but it is neither fair nor equal in its opportunities or results.

Unfortunately none of the rival systems (at the present time) work either. But that's no reason to settle on an equally bad option.

[Carl the Llama]

I'm not convinced everyone on here understands what a tax bracket is. For a simple explanation let's say the brackets are 20% on earnings up to £1m and 80% above that:

If you earn £1.6m you won't have 80% (1.28m) of your pay taken, leaving you only £720,000 and the incentive to earn £1m (£800,000 post-tax).

Instead you'd earn the £800,000 and be taxed 80% of the remaining £600,000 (£480,000), leaving you £920,000

That's an extreme case and no tax bracket is that high (yet - the proposed 75% rate hasn't been ratified in France because it's unconstitutional, they might find a way around that, they might not), but in any case the more money you earn, the more money you're left with, simple as. If you're a top rate earner and spending what you make so quickly that you desperately need that extra percentage taxed on your income back then it's your habits and not the govts that need looking at: People live entire lives in comfort without earning what you do you greedy whoever you are.

[Jon the Hat]

You are missing the point. You are still better off with a 99% tax rate, but where is the fairness and the incentive to work for that? GD might decide 25% of his fee isn't worth it and give up. What if all our greatest talents did the same?

[I am Rod Hull]

You are missing the point. You are still better off with a 99% tax rate, but where is the fairness and the incentive to work for that? GD might decide 25% of his fee isn't worth it and give up. What if all our greatest talents did the same?

This would mean no more Jamie Oliver? I`m all for it

(Sorry for being silly, Ken)

[Jon the Hat]

This would mean no more Jamie Oliver? I`m all for it

(Sorry for being silly, Ken)

I said greatest talents.

Oliver will eventually disappear by being shit like his horrible Restaurant in Guildford.

[Carl the Llama]

You are missing the point. You are still better off with a 99% tax rate, but where is the fairness and the incentive to work for that? GD might decide 25% of his fee isn't worth it and give up. What if all our greatest talents did the same?

Using the actual brackets, earning €1m/year leaves you with €603,357/year - not a bad return compared to the €432,184 you'd be left with in the UK is it? I'm surprised our greatest talents haven't already done the same.

[Deucalion]

Not been following this thread as I have been doing something else but...

I think that someone who considers others, works for others and takes a wider view of the world than thinking 'I'm alright Jack' is a better person than someone who counts their own pennies, looks down on people with less and always finds a conceited reason to defend the status quo.

If anyone found the need to be abusive, maybe it's because the truth hurts.

Decent people are lefties.

Fact !! <ok>

[Captain...]

Not been following this thread as I have been doing something else but...

I think that someone who considers others, works for others and takes a wider view of the world than thinking 'I'm alright Jack' is a better person than someone who counts their own pennies, looks down on people with less and always finds a conceited reason to defend the status quo.

If anyone found the need to be abusive, maybe it's because the truth hurts.

Decent people are lefties.

Fact !! <ok>

Ha ha, looking forward to some of the responses to this, but I can't agree, decent people are decent people, left and right is irrelevant to that.

[Guest MattP]

This is what the left never realise, instead of collecting 40%(or whatever the rate was) of Mr Depardieu's millions they are now collecting 75% of fvck all. People in France who are just below the higher rate tax band won't invest/work harder as they will be worse off by earning more.

High tax regimes are more about envy than raising income.

Pretty much nailed it there in the first comment.

Well done Mr Depardieu for taking a stand against these aggressive socialists.

[pSinatra]

Apparently, Wayne Rooney earns over £200000 per week.........or over £10000000 a year. If he was taxed at 90% that would still leave him with a cool million a year. Do you think he would jack football in? Do you think he would rather go & get a job cleaning toilets?

He would carry on doing a job he loves & he would continue to live a more than comfortable lifestyle. The same goes for GD.

I have always dreaded this moment........sounding just like my Dad!! Wage cap the lot of 'em!!

[Guest MattP]

Apparently, Wayne Rooney earns over £200000 per week.........or over £10000000 a year. If he was taxed at 90% that would still leave him with a cool million a year. Do you think he would jack football in? Do you think he would rather go & get a job cleaning toilets?

He would carry on doing a job he loves & he would continue to live a more than comfortable lifestyle. The same goes for GD.

I have always dreaded this moment........sounding just like my Dad!! Wage cap the lot of 'em!!

Surely he would just move to a country to play where they had a fairer tax system?

[pSinatra]

Surely he would just move to a country to play where they had a fairer tax system?

Yes, I was aware of the slight flaw in my argument

I was just trying to point out that they are in a massively privileged situation & should consider themselves fortunate.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Fair play to Gerard i would do the same.

[BoneDog]

I didn't pay my council tax in 1999 (thought the world was going to end in 2000 so said 'f*&k this council tax lark').

Lived the dream.

[BoneDog]

Got fined in 2000.

[MooseBreath]

Not been following this thread as I have been doing something else but...

I think that someone who considers others, works for others and takes a wider view of the world than thinking 'I'm alright Jack' is a better person than someone who counts their own pennies, looks down on people with less and always finds a conceited reason to defend the status quo.

If anyone found the need to be abusive, maybe it's because the truth hurts.

Decent people are lefties.

Fact !! <ok>

You sound like you're in your early 20s, have possibly done some travelling most likely funded by your parents, and have now got a very loose grip on a few vague liberal ideas and are under the impression that that makes you forward-thinking.

Lefties are not forward thinking because they always recycle the same stale old idealistic bullshit without ever proposing a real well thought out solution. It has been going on for decades.

I can tell you one thing though, you're headed for an absolute beauty of an existential crisis when reality hits.

[Alexikokopops]

The thing I find about the whole left/right side of the debate is that people from both sides sound like arrogant, pompous, ass hats whose opinion is the only possible way. I'm probably the same (I'm willing to bet I sound a twat in this post). Either way, it makes threads like these unbearable because everyone seems like a dick. Except El Empty. I read this whole thing because I'd seen him post on here

[The People's Hero]

Whether or not the lefties think taxing the big earners at a very high rate is the right thing to do, while there is freedom of movement and trade, it will never work. It's unworkable. Many many many socialist type policies just don't work in the world we live in. Ie a competitive global environment comprised of various nation states with varying policies.

[Jon the Hat]

Using the actual brackets, earning €1m/year leaves you with €603,357/year - not a bad return compared to the €432,184 you'd be left with in the UK is it? I'm surprised our greatest talents haven't already done the same.

You are making my point very well thank you.. So once you have earned the €1m, say for royalties from work you did in previous tax years, why would you bother to make any more movies if someone else was taking 75% of the proceeds? Would it be worth the effort when you could clearly live comfortably on the €603,357?

As TPH eloquently put it, there is no sane reason why anyone would stick around and pay that when they could move elsewhere and pay less tax, even if there objective is to choose to spend it on philanthropy.

[Jon the Hat]

Surely he would just move to a country to play where they had a fairer tax system?

Like Spain for example, where Ronaldo costs something like 40% less to employ for Real Madrid that he would for Manure for the same net pay.

[Charl91]

Maybe the thought process is that cleaning is mainly done by second class citizens and women and they do not count as worthwhile.

Or maybe it's simple supply and demand - while everyone is capable of clearning a toilet, not everyone can play football like Messi.

[The People's Hero]

I'm not quite sure why toilet cleaners etc come in to it. No one is saying that they should be paying 90% tax. No one is trying to increase the tax burden on those working but on comparatively low incomes.

This individual we are discussing at this point is not a toilet cleaner but earns a considerable income doing something else. It really doesn't matter what that is. If some are you are hung up on the imagery of someone cleaning toilets, just imagine that this chap was the best damn toilet cleaner in France and no one could clean a toilet like him. His services were valued by employers and they paid him accordingly. Anyone else as good may have got the same deal. He has not cheated his way to the money.

The state suddenly decides he should pay an enormous amount of tax. Tax he could avoid by moving elsewhere.

Why should he stick around and pay that tax? It is especially true if he does not like the way the country is being run and (conceptually) the policies which his tax is funding.

I don't understand any of the criticism towards him at all.