France's richest man -- billionaire Bernard Arnault -- has come under fire from all quarters for his controversial decision to apply for Belgian nationality, in order to avoid paying a planned 75 percent wealth tax in France this year, the France 24 website reports today (September 12, 2012).
The decision by the 63-year-old head of the Louis Vuitton, Moet and Hennessy luxury goods empire to seek Belgian citizenship, has been seen by some as a first step to his future financial exile from France. It is an accusation Arnault has strongly denied.
Nonetheless, his decision has provoked a furious reaction in the press and among politicians. The "Liberation" newspaper -- in objecting to his decision to seek Belgian nationality -- printed a front-page story on Arnault on September 10 with the headline "Get Lost, You Rich Idiot."
Arnault's lawyers today announced that he was suing "Liberation" for public insult over the headline, calling it vulgar and violent. "Bernard Arnault has no other choice, given the extreme vulgarity and brutality," a statement from the billionaire's lawyers read.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment