'Tax exiles should pay French tax'
Sarkozy suggested a radical change to tax rules on the show Parole de Candidat
FRENCH tax exiles should be forced to pay as much tax as if they had stayed in France, president-candidate Nicolas Sarkozy has said.
As a guest on the TF1 programme Parole de Candidat, he said: “I would like taxation and nationality to be linked”.
People who live abroad and wish to retain French nationality should have to declare what tax they are paying abroad and be made to make up the difference compared to what they would have paid in France, he said.
The idea has also been mooted by Front de Gauche presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon. When this was pointed out to Mr Sarkozy he retorted: “Do send him a little card on my behalf”.
Mr Mélenchon took credit in a statement, saying: “I’m on a winning streak”. “The outgoing president of the Republic has taken up the Front de Gauche’s solution on taxing fiscal deserters abroad. Yesterday he was taking up our idea of European disobedience [referring to Sarkozy’s threats to leave the Schengen Zone].”
Such a taxation plan however would need to agreement of all members of the European Union, as at present EU rules link taxation to residence.
Previous article: Sarkozy threatens to leave Schengen
