France’s most famous leading man, Gérard Depardieu, has joined the flight of France’s wealthy to less tax-heavy destinations, establishing his residency in the Belgian border town of Néchin, reports France 24.
A local mayor told French and Belgian media that seeking a respite from high taxes was just one of Depardieu’s reasons for leaving his native country. “He wanted to find a home in Belgium to escape France’s taxes, but he could have also moved to Brussels," Mayor Daniel Senesael told Belgium’s RTBF television on Sunday. "He wanted to leave Paris, its noisiness, and find a little bit of calm, peace and serenity.”
Senesael told RTL radio that Depardieu was also interested in Belgian culture and Néchin's "rural, bucolic setting”.
Rumours about Depardieu’s search for a more tax-friendly destination first hit the Belgian and French media in November.
In reaction to the departure of France’s most famous and best-paid actor, Jean-François Copé, head of the conservative opposition UMP party, said he would not judge Depardieu, warning that France risked losing its fortunes “permanently” if it did not adopt tax rates on par with neighbouring European countries.
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, a leading figure in the ruling Socialist Party, said he knew the actor personally and criticised him for failing to act with his customary generosity – toward the French state, at least.
Nathalie Arthaud, the spokeswoman for France’s far-left Worker’s Struggle party, said she thought it was fine for the super-wealthy like Depardieu to pay more. “We need a law against tax evasion to force the rich to pay their due,” she said.
Read more of this report from France 24.