The Gaul: Depardieu as wine ambassador in Russia?
Over the past month, a refugee tried to sell assets in his home country, bought a tiny house in a neighboring country, and took a passport from a third. It was none other than bon vivant Gerard Depardieu, who fled France, listed his $65 million Paris apartment, bought a house in Belgium a stone’s throw from the French border, and then received a Russian passport two days ago from Putin (wonder what they uncorked? Putin is a teetotaler.). Depardieu is fleeing a possible 75% tax on incomes above 1 million euros in France (though the proposal got struck down by the high court and its fate is unknown).
There is a slight wine angle to all this. Depardieu has said he could drink five bottles of wine a day, so wherever he goes, there may be a bump in the consumption figures. Seriously, will this naturalized citizen be a wine ambassador to Russia (even culturally, assuming he’s not around too much)? Depardieu owns Chateau Tigné in Anjou and is involved in several other wine projects with Bernard Magrez and Michel Rolland. Incidentally, in a lengthy interview with Decanter in 2009, he professed to being an Italophile, saying “I love Italian culture.” But, seemingly, not their tax rate either.
What do you think of his actions: treasonable or reasonable?
On January 7th, 2013 at 3:15 pm ,Jarrod H. wrote:
Reasonable! That said, 5 Bottles/day personal consumption might be a bit might make one somewhat unreasonable…
On January 7th, 2013 at 6:45 pm ,RobinC wrote:
I read that UK millionaires were fleeing the country over the 50% tax hike. Gerard is just voting with his feet. I heard a while back that Russia is planting vineyards. If Gerard sells his apartment he could sink his money into a prestige Russian vineyard.
On January 7th, 2013 at 8:45 pm ,gabe wrote:
eat the rich
On January 8th, 2013 at 1:50 am ,dsa wrote:
It is strange. Russian billionaries went to London and Paris, but French ones goes in opposite direction.
I am waiting how D. will be surprised with the total amount of taxes he will have to pay in Russia, where the income tax is not only and is not even the most.
6 months to live in Russia? It would be very fun to see D. jumping over water and dirty Mordovia will be filling in Spring and briething the smoke and dust of Russian cities.
On January 9th, 2013 at 11:30 am ,lbj wrote:
Rich people’s problems.
On February 1st, 2013 at 9:59 pm ,Anon wrote:
I know we are talking about Depardieu, but why is there a picture of Jabba the Hut?