Gerard Depardieu is now officially an expat. Perhaps forever?
French film star Gerard Depardieu received a hug from President Vladimir Putin and a new Russian passport on Sunday after abandoning his homeland to avoid a new tax rate for millionaires.
Putin signed a decree on Thursday granting Russian citizenship to Depardieu, who has fumed over French President Francois Hollande’s plan to impose a 75% tax rate.
Whoa! That’s one committed Frenchman… er, I mean Russian. Who else out there would renounce his citizenship to avoid a huge tax burden? Oh, that’s right… Eduardo Saverin! The Facebook founder saved himself by $39 million by expatriating to Singapore and renounced his U.S. citizenship.
Who’s next out there? Any other expats getting ready to drop their citizenship to avoid the long arm of the tax man?
(Read previous post about Depardieu’s move to Belgium.)
There is something wrong that these jokers can immigrate so easily and quickly due to celebrity and money and the rest of us have to fill out papers and papers and papers and papers and wait years and years. WRONG.
Taxes are just one of many reasons to expatriate and/or renounce citizenship, Albert Einstein is an example. Politics, police harrassment, injustice, inhospitability, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So many things come into play. Well being and an enviroment that is less stressful is at the top of the list.
[...] not just the U.S. who has made headlines when a famous expat gave up his or her citizenship. Gerard Depardieu recently renounced his French citizenship due to France’s tax laws. Comments [...]