 Wysłany: Pon 11:10, 13 Sty 2014 Temat postu: London mayor to rich French |
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| London mayor to rich French
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLANDLondon Mayor Boris Johnson sought on Monday to woo talented French immigrants to the British capital away from the "tyranny" they are suffering under Socialist President Franois Hollande, who has raised taxes on the rich. Speaking to a rally of members of the ruling Conservative Party at their annual conference in Birmingham, Johnson invoked the opening line of the French national anthem: "Allons enfants de la patrie," which translates as "Let us go, children of the fatherland" in English. "We say to the people, not since 1789 has there been such tyranny in France," Johnson joked, referring to the year of the French Revolution. "I am very keen to welcome talented French people to London." He noted that there are already 240,000 French nationals in the capital. In June, Prime Minister David Cameron triggered a war of words with France by vowing to "roll out the red carpet" for French companies if Hollande followed through on his election pledge to tax the wealthy. In its 2013 budget last month, Hollande's government announced 20 billion ($26 billion) of tax increases, including a 75percent levy on incomes over 1 million,[url=http://www.onitsukatiger.com.sg]asics shoes[/url], and the elimination of limits on the wealth tax. A decision by France's richest man Bernard Arnault, the CEO of fashion giant Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy to seek Belgian citizenship created a media frenzy over tax exiles, prompting the newspaper Liberation to run a frontpage headline that read: "Get lost, rich bastard." Hollande said Sept. 9 it's patriotic to pay taxes. Johnson arrived in Birmingham amid continued speculation about whether he intends to challenge Cameron for the Conservative leadership if the premier fails to secure a majority at the next general election due in 2015. Buoyed by reelection in May and the success of the London Olympics in August, Johnson has increasingly been touted by Tory activists as a possible successor to Cameron, whose poll ratings have fallen. |
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