2/3rds of French people favor Pres candidate's plan of a 75 percent top tax rate,

[ErikJ]

Heard this while monitoring Fox News this morn. They were outraged of course.

(Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of French people favor Francois Hollande's idea of a 75 percent top tax rate, a poll on Friday showed, indicating that the Socialist candidate has struck a chord with voters two months before a presidential election.

Hollande, who leads opinion polls before the two-round vote in April and May, drew vehement criticism from the right on Monday when he unveiled plans to hike the marginal tax rate for those earning over 1 million euros a year.

Conservative rival President Nicolas Sarkozy accused him of "worrying amateurism" while economists warned a 75 percent rate, higher than any other OECD area country, would spur an exodus of the wealthy.

Yet a survey by pollster TNS Sofres and communication agency Mediaprism suggested the idea had gone down well with the public, with 61 percent of those questioned in favor versus 29 percent against. Ten percent gave no opinion.....................................

....................Hollande is by far the favorite to win the election, with polls putting him as much as 20 points ahead of incumbent Sarkozy in the second round run-off in May.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/02/us-france-supertax-idUSTRE8211HO20120302

[JDPriestly]

1. And in what other country in the world would the wealthy of France find

enough decent places to eat?

They would miss their baguettes, their fromages, their creme fraiche, their crepes suzette and all the other goodies that are a part of their culture.

No way would a true Frenchman with money leave France for very long. If they tried, they would soon become utterly homesick for a good meal.

Many of the Swiss speak French, but Switzerland does not have the culinary traditions of France. It would not be the same.

Ordinary French people who cannot afford the best of French cuisine might move, but the extremely wealthy would not stay away for long -- not in large enough numbers to matter. There are just some things you cannot buy, such as the variety and numbers of great restaurant choices in France.

No, I'm not rich and was never able to indulge in frequenting the best restaurants, but I do know just how important they are to wealthy French people.