Looming tax hikes by France’s new socialist government have triggered an exodus of the Gallic super-rich to “wealth-friendly” nations like Britain and Switzerland.
The latest estate agency figures have shown large numbers of France’s most well-heeled families selling up and moving to neighboring countries. Many are fleeing a proposed new higher tax rate of 75 percent on all earnings over one million euros (NT$36.74 million).
Sotheby’s Realty said its French offices sold more than 100 properties over 1.7 million euros between April and June this year — a marked increase on the same period in 2011.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Alexander Kraft, head of Sotheby’s Realty, France, said: “The result of the presidential election has had a real impact on our sales. Now a large number of wealthy French families are leaving the country as a direct result of the proposals of the new government. These properties are then bought up by foreign investors looking for a stable real estate market like France to invest in.”
Gilles Martin, a Swiss tax consultant, reported the same trend. “Since the socialists came to power in France, I have been deluged with inquiries from rich French people who would rather pay their tax in Switzerland.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron angered the French last month when he said he would “roll out the red carpet” to wealthy French citizens and firms who wanted to move out and pay their taxes in Britain.
(Liberty Times)
法國新上任的社會黨政府即將提出增稅,引發法國超級富豪出逃至英國或瑞士等「對富人友善」的國家。
最新的房地產仲介數據顯示,法國最富有的家庭大批出脫房地產,搬家到附近國家。法國政府提議將收入超過一百萬歐元(新台幣三千六百七十四萬元)的人所得稅率增至百分之七十五,讓許多人因此逃出法國。
蘇士比房地產公司表示,法國分部在今年四到六月售出一百多處價值超過一百七十萬歐元的房產,比二○一一年同期顯著增加。
蘇士比法國主管卡夫特說,「總統大選的結果對我們的銷售業績產生很大的變化。現在法國很多富有家庭都因為新政府提的法案離開法國。這些房地產被外國投資人收購,這些外資尋找像法國一樣穩定的房地產市場投資。」
瑞士稅務顧問馬汀也發現相同趨勢,「自社會黨上台後,向我諮詢的法國富人突然暴增,他們寧願在瑞士繳稅。」
英國首相卡麥隆上月表示,他願意用「紅地毯」來迎接法國富人及企業到英國納稅,這席話惹惱不少法國人。
(自由時報/翻譯:陳維真)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
A: As well as Eid al-Fitr, Southeast Asia is celebrating the Water Festival this week. B: And this year, Thailand is expanding the celebration between April 12 and 16 for the event, officially known as the Songkran Festival, expecting to make 24.3 billion Thai baht in tourism revenue. A: Does Taiwan celebrate the Water Festival? B: Some local cities and counties do have similar activities. A: Let’s go experience the festival then. A: 除了「開齋節」外,東南亞「潑水節」本週也盛大登場! B: 泰國今年從4月12日到16日擴大「宋干節」連假,預估觀光收入可高達243億泰銖。 A: 台灣會慶祝「潑水節」嗎? B: 有些縣市會舉辦類似活動。 A: 那我們也去體驗一下吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)