Althouse: I just noticed the double meaning of "tax hike."

September 4, 2012

I just noticed the double meaning of "tax hike."

Reading this article about Johnny Depp moving out of France because it raised taxes.

Because of a tax hike, he took a hike, a tax hike.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...: I don't know why he would do that. He didn't build his movie career. Somebody else made that happen.; 9/4/12, 9:43 AM
rehajm said...: How do you say 'schadenfreude' in French?; 9/4/12, 9:46 AM
test said...: Germany had better shake itself free or France is going to drag them into economic hell also. It's bizarre watching Greece fail in front of our eyes - and other countries using them as a blueprint instead of a warning.; 9/4/12, 9:52 AM
edutcher said...: Lots of those nasty capitalists are doing that.

I'm shocked, shocked, Good Cap'n Sparrow would join them.; 9/4/12, 9:55 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: I keep reading these paeans to higher taxes from Democrats here and on FB.

What the hell kind of person dreams of higher taxes?

The motivation often seems to be idolatry. The Great Obama should be given all the tools to confer salvation upon us.

And those awful, heretic Republicans, should stop opposing the Great Obama!

How dare they!; 9/4/12, 9:56 AM
Glenn Howes said...: If you Google this, as I did because the blog link didn't have an obvious link to a news article, you'll see that Mr. Depp did this last year even before the new French governments new tax scheme. At the time, he was avoiding income tax in both the USA and the French republic. So much of this was his avoiding renouncing his American citizenship over the USA insisting on taxing the foreign income of its citizens.

Of course, with the new 75% tax rate in France, he might have gone from staying out of France for the 183 days needed for legal residence, to the mode of not being caught dead in the country despite his French wife, and Francophone children.; 9/4/12, 9:58 AM
test said...: Shouting Thomas said...
I keep reading these paeans to higher taxes from Democrats here and on FB.

What the hell kind of person dreams of higher taxes?

Two kinds:

1. People who know they won't be paying them but just might benefit from them.

2. People whose jobs are funded by them.

And what do you know, we've just described the Democratic Party.; 9/4/12, 10:01 AM
Seeing Red said...: He can't go to England, they want to clip .5% of wealth.

1 time of course.

He should pull a DiCaprio, buy his own island.; 9/4/12, 10:03 AM
Seeing Red said...: He and his wife are over.; 9/4/12, 10:04 AM
n.n said...: His direct quote suggests that he is not willing to give up American citizenship, and now that France has reoriented its political policy, he would be subject to progressive taxation by virtue of his residing and consuming resources in two nations. His departure only proves that everyone has a threshold past which they are no longer willing to voluntarily participate.; 9/4/12, 10:05 AM
Larry J said...: What the hell kind of person dreams of higher taxes?

Oh, they dream of higher taxes for others, almost never for themselves. If they wanted to pay more to the government, all they have to do is write a check. The government will happily cash it. Very few people do so, so you know they don't want to actually pay more themselves.

The motivation often seems to be idolatry.

More likely, the motivation is envy. They think raising tax rates on the evil "rich" (a term that's almost never defined except as someone who has more than you), they'll be better off somehow.

Envy is one of the most serious of the 7 Deadly Sins. From Wikipedia:

Like greed and lust, Envy is characterized by an insatiable desire. Envy is similar to jealousy in that they both feel discontent towards someones traits, status, abilities, or rewards. The difference is the envious also desire that entity and covet it.

Envy can be directly related to the Ten Commandments, specifically "Neither shall you desire... anything that belongs to your neighbour". Dante defined this as "a desire to deprive other men of theirs."; 9/4/12, 10:06 AM
Rusty said...: What the hell kind of person dreams of higher taxes?

Bob and the rest will be here in a minute to tell us.; 9/4/12, 10:12 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: His departure only proves that everyone has a threshold past which they are no longer willing to voluntarily participate.

A perfect real life example of why the Laffer Curve is important.

Of course the Democrats continue to ignore reality and are pressing for higher taxes, fees, licensing etc. Then will be so surprised when their best laid plans gang aft a-gley.; 9/4/12, 10:13 AM
ndspinelli said...: John Malcovich moved from France for the same reason.; 9/4/12, 10:13 AM
Colonel Angus said...: What the hell kind of person dreams of higher taxes?

A Democrat.; 9/4/12, 10:22 AM
William said...: Hollywood doesn't think highly of capitalism. They like to make movies about the Mafia because to them that's capitalism in its rawest form. But if you wish to see a true picture of how capitalism deforms humans and makes them greedy, sexually exploitative, hypocritical, and dishonest, the proper locus of your study should be Hollywood. Thank God our oil and utility industries are not staffed with such monsters.; 9/4/12, 10:24 AM
tim maguire said...: Depp is pretty much of a weasel. Never liked him as a person and after "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," I can't take him seriously as an actor either.; 9/4/12, 10:27 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I’m a bad person. I know it’s not nice to take joy in the misery of others, but I can’t help but smile when I see a story about bad news in France.

It's very queer how feeling correctly about something makes you "a bad person." Looking at France objectively is a cultural taboo, here, in a way I'd never have imagined before I moved there.

Actually, looking at ANYTHING objectively is a cultural taboo today. I was talking to a friend this morning and the subject turned to Mormonism and, to my surprise, he started reflecting on how difficult it was to get people to see past the "golly-gosh" bullshit, to see how they really behave. He described it as a cultural prison - I told him it was memes - but we both agreed it was stifling because, in the heat of an election, it's not just here in Utah but country-wide, and it'll get worse once Romney's in.

It used to be said, "The truth will set you free," but now it's a death knell,...; 9/4/12, 10:39 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Ah! La France! Quelle beaute'!

Yeah, that's what they all say, until you actually get to see how the boudin is made, so as to speak.

I know that Depp was in France for family reasons, too, but as a place to try and squirrel away one's wealth, France must be at the bottom of the list.

Mitterand made a bunch of socialist campaign promises, and then followed through on very few of them. Sadly, Hollande seems to be in earnest. Tant pis pour la France!; 9/4/12, 10:50 AM
garage mahal said...: Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find anything related to Johnny Depp at the link. Or links at the link.

WTF?; 9/4/12, 10:57 AM
Rusty said...: I know that Depp was in France for family reasons, too, but as a place to try and squirrel away one's wealth, France must be at the bottom of the list

Switzerland is just a short drive away.; 9/4/12, 11:01 AM
Lyle said...: America is not such a "dumb puppy" after all, I guess.; 9/4/12, 11:03 AM
AF said...: ""I just noticed the double meaning of "tax hike." . . .
Because of a tax hike, he took a hike, a tax hike."

That is fucking brilliant! You are on a roll Professor Althouse!; 9/4/12, 11:03 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Flying dirty. It's an Air Force thing, they talk like that. It means slowing down your jet on purpose by dropping the landing gear and opening the flaps to screw up the airflow over the wings and create drag. You don't actually stall, which is the total loss of airflow, not the engine halting as with cars, the air still flows and the jet still flies but within swirls of its own making all around up and down and that slows down the jet. The pilot taxes the plane to slow it down. There. That there is what you call an analogy!; 9/4/12, 11:03 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Hikes must always go upwards. If you put on your backpack and your hiking boots and pick up your hiking sticks and head on down the mountain, then it cannot be a hike down the mountain, that would be a roll, or a plod, or a galumph down the mountain, a walk down the trail, a stroll, but not a hike.

Then conduct your business down there and hike back up.; 9/4/12, 11:08 AM
Anonymous said...: The Stones moved to France in the early '70's to escape Britain's crushingly high taxes. Now the movement is in the opposite direction. It tells you something when the UK tax rate is considered reasonable compared to the French one.; 9/4/12, 11:14 AM
Anonymous said...: "Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find anything related to Johnny Depp at the link. Or links at the link."

Garage, that's because you didn't bother to go on to page 2 of the article.; 9/4/12, 11:29 AM
Unknown said...: The premise of the linked article is false. Why does Althouse post links to such obvious dishonest garbage?; 9/4/12, 12:04 PM
cubanbob said...: Jake Diamond said...
The premise of the linked article is false. Why does Althouse post links to such obvious dishonest garbage?

9/4/12 12:04 PM

Your premise is false. Why do you make such dishonest statements? Hey, read the article, the man said he bugging out to avoid being taxed in to oblivion. As he said he doesn't want to work for free.; 9/4/12, 12:22 PM
AlanKH said...: We rooted for the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean because Lord Cutler Beckett was a bigger pirate than all the others combined. And he was the government.

Now France is his Beckett.; 9/4/12, 1:04 PM
Amartel said...: Socialism is for the little people.; 9/4/12, 2:29 PM
Amartel said...: Will Smith was not jiggy with the 75% tax rate either. Came as quite a shock.; 9/4/12, 2:38 PM
Unknown said...: Why do you make such dishonest statements? Hey, read the article, the man said he bugging out to avoid being taxed in to oblivion

Ah, so you're moving the goalposts. The title of this blog entry references tax HIKES, and then links to an article entitled "Johnny Depp Flees France Over Tax Hikes." But if you read the article, Johnny Depp's decision to leave hinges on the issue of double taxation of his income, not on French tax HIKES. Here's the relevant section from the linked article:

"Actor Johnny Depp has moved out of France and returned to America because he didn’t want to become a permanent French resident and pay income tax there. …Depp has now moved his family out of France after government officials asked him to become a permanent resident, as he feared he would end up paying tax in both countries."

In other words, Depp's decision has nothing to do with increases in French tax rates. Therefore what this establishes is that Daniel J. Mitchell is a liar, that you're a liar, and that Althouse linked to an obviously dishonest piece of shit article.

Thanks for showing your true self.; 9/4/12, 5:36 PM
Eric said...: Hollywood doesn't think highly of capitalism.

If I were Romney I'd promise to release my tax returns if Depp released his.; 9/4/12, 9:25 PM
Rusty said...: Jake Diamond said...
Why do you make such dishonest statements? Hey, read the article, the man said he bugging out to avoid being taxed in to oblivion

Ah, so you're moving the goalposts. The title of this blog entry references tax HIKES, and then links to an article entitled "Johnny Depp Flees France Over Tax Hikes." But if you read the article, Johnny Depp's decision to leave hinges on the issue of double taxation of his income, not on French tax HIKES. Here's the relevant section from the linked article:

"Actor Johnny Depp has moved out of France and returned to America because he didn’t want to become a permanent French resident and pay income tax there. …Depp has now moved his family out of France after government officials asked him to become a permanent resident, as he feared he would end up paying tax in both countries."

In other words, Depp's decision has nothing to do with increases in French tax rates. Therefore what this establishes is that Daniel J. Mitchell is a liar, that you're a liar, and that Althouse linked to an obviously dishonest piece of shit article.

A distinction without a difference, Jake.
Of course he's leaving because of taxes.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced today that the government will tax incomes of more than €1 million ($1.25 million) at a rate of 75 percent, according to Bloomberg.

That's in addition to a new 45 percent tax rate for the country's highest earners, and a capital income tax equal to that of wages.

We think this means that if you make €2 million euros, you would pay 45 percent on the first €1 million and 75 percent of the second €1 million to the government, or a total of €1.2 million.

This tax rate compares to 35 percent for the highest bracket of earners in the United States in 2012.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/france-millionaires-tax-2012-7#ixzz25ajfuGxy; 9/5/12, 5:57 AM
Robert Cook said...: I wonder how much of Depp's (covert) motive for leaving France has to do with the dissolution of his marriage? I mean, this could be a dick move, taking his kids away from their (French) mother, making it harder or impossible for her to maintain her maternal relationship with them.

I didn't bother reading the article, so I don't know if that subject is broached or not.; 9/5/12, 6:54 AM