# French Soccer Clubs to Strike over 75% Tax Rate **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132 "2013-10-24T17:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/1 "2013-10-24T17:30:11Z")
> **[French Soccer Clubs to Strike over 75% Tax Rate](https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2013/10/24/french-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/)** > > French footballers will go out on strike for the first time in more than 40 years next month in protest at a government plans to tax top earners 75 percent, the clubs announced on Thursday. The president of the French professional clubs union (UCPF), Jean-Pierre Louvel, said: “We are involved in a historic protest and have a real determination to save football by having a weekend without games at the end of November.” =============================== Silly French. They don’t understand social contracts, do they? By agreeing to work in France they signed up to give most of their earnings away to the state. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/2 "2013-10-24T18:13:23Z")
Anything that results in less football is a Net Good to Society and needs to be encouraged. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/3 "2013-10-24T18:51:24Z")
I have to wonder. If I wanted to complain to a (largely American) audience about the evils of high taxes, I’m not sure I’d pick French soccer players earning over US$1.37 million per annum as my example. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/4 "2013-10-24T21:25:34Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > I have to wonder. If I wanted to complain to a (largely American) audience about the evils of high taxes, I’m not sure I’d pick French soccer players earning over US$1.37 million per annum as my example. A 75% tax rate is pure robbery, I don’t care how much one earns! ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/5 "2013-10-24T21:44:30Z")
First of all, the 75% tax bracket only applies to earnings above 1 million euros per annum, which is apparently quite a lot. Second of all, it’s not a 75% tax bracket, it’s an 18% raise to the existing 45% top tax bracket. Only by adding other (already existing, unrelated to income) taxes on top of that can opponents of the plan reach that highly mediatized 75% rate. Third of all, the proposed tax initiative has been amended to apply to enterprises rather than the salaried, as far back as April. In the case of the soccer monkeys, it’ll be their club paying that part of their income tax because it freely chooses to hand out salaries over 1 million. The players’ tax rate doesn’t change. So either your news are old, **Terr** , or soccer players don’t understand anything about anything. Which I wouldn’t put past them. Lastly, soccer players are free to get a line assembly or code monkey job if booohoohoo. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/6 "2013-10-25T00:31:05Z")
I clicked on the link to Breibart’s website in the OP. And the first thing I got was a pop-up ad telling me “You deserve the TRUTH”. And I realized it was right so I closed the link. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/7 "2013-10-25T01:04:29Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > A 75% tax rate is pure robbery, I don’t care how much one earns! At what level does “robbery” begin? ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/8 "2013-10-25T01:10:02Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Lastly, soccer players are free to get a line assembly or code monkey job if booohoohoo. Exactly. These people are entirely free, even in evil socialist France, to get jobs sweeping the streets if they don’t like the tax they have to pay on their millions. If they’d rather have less money, there are (I’m guessing since I’m not French) ample opportunities in France to earn less than professional soccer players. And of course, soccer players can also play in another country where tax rates are lower if they’re really feeling the squeeze. God knows it’s hard to live in Marseille on $1.37 million per year. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/9 "2013-10-25T01:19:58Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > If they’d rather have less money, there are (I’m guessing since I’m not French) ample opportunities in France to earn less than professional soccer players. I have to be honest : it’s tough. There are only about 1.000 jobs available in all of France where one can escape that dreadful tax bracket. Hold on… I’m being told my fact sheet was upside down. There are only about 1.000 to 1.500 people in all of France who have jobs where the new tax bracket applies at all. Still couldn’t pay me that much to live in Marseilles. People are way too friendly down there. It’s like they aren’t even exasperated at the very notion of human interraction, it’s very confusing to this Parisian. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/10 "2013-10-25T01:37:24Z")
So what you’re saying is that 1,500 very rich French people might be somewhat less rich. Dammit! That could mean that France could drop from being one of the largest economies in the world to being…one of the largest economies in the world. I’d hate to see that happen. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/11 "2013-10-25T04:05:44Z")
Honest question: how many Ligue 1 players have earnings over that threshold? I really only follow the Bundesliga in Germany, but even there, for every Franck Ribery or Philipp Lahm or Mario Gotze who make so much in salary and endorsements that they can wipe their noses with euros, there’s a Marc Pfitzner or a Jonas Erwig-Druppel playing for crummy Eintracht Braunschweig making a mere fraction of that. Is this a widespread effect on many Ligue 1 players or are we talking about mainly, like, PSG? Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s taxes could probably fund a subway system. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/12 "2013-10-25T20:26:43Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > At what level does “robbery” begin? That would be subject to an individual’s opinion, of course. Much like the question “Paying what percentage of your income in taxes is fair?”. Obviously, in my opinion, the “fair” number is well below75 freaking percent… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/13 "2013-10-25T20:55:34Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Still couldn’t pay me that much to live in Marseilles. People are way too friendly down there. It’s like they aren’t even exasperated at the very notion of human interraction, it’s very confusing to this Parisian. I had the displeasure to work with a dude from Marseilles who reminded me of our **pinguin** - would you like his contact info? And, would you be willing to put him in his place a few times for me? I’m afraid my French simply wasn’t up to the task. A tax-avoidance scheme that’s relatively common in Spain (and, if well-executed, legal) is setting up one or more sole-propietor companies and splitting one’s earnings between them. I’m wondering how many of those being hit by this tax increase were playing that particular kind of tricks and now need to redo their homework (well, their accountants) - but in any case, boo-fucking-hoo… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/14 "2013-10-25T20:59:34Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Lastly, soccer players are free to get a line assembly or code monkey job if booohoohoo. Or to not play a game one November weekend. Which seems like considerably less than the end of the world to me, but I suppose there are French people to whom it would be dire. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/15 "2013-10-26T12:53:32Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > That would be subject to an individual’s opinion, of course. Much like the question “Paying what percentage of your income in taxes is fair?”. Obviously, in my opinion, the “fair” number is well below75 freaking percent… Well, as **Kobal2** said, this is a marginal rate and the media has had to reach to get the 75% figure. So no-one is paying that much of their total income in tax. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-soccer-clubs-to-strike-over-75-tax-rate/672132/16 "2013-10-26T14:11:53Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Honest question: how many Ligue 1 players have earnings over that threshold? I really only follow the Bundesliga in Germany, but even there, for every Franck Ribery or Philipp Lahm or Mario Gotze who make so much in salary and endorsements that they can wipe their noses with euros, there’s a Marc Pfitzner or a Jonas Erwig-Druppel playing for crummy Eintracht Braunschweig making a mere fraction of that. Is this a widespread effect on many Ligue 1 players or are we talking about mainly, like, PSG? Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s taxes could probably fund a subway system. A good percentage, it’s just under twice the average Ligue 1 wage. Ligue 2 are also going on strike too though and I wouldn’t think that very many players at that level would be earning more than 1 million euros pa. eta though footballer’s wages are usually calculated before bonuses which can be substantial and they may also have other streams of income such as endorsements.