the dissident frogman · time to take sides

There are but a few economists not from the Marx / Keynes school of thought in this country:

Liberal¹ countries invented the « flat tax » ; we invented the « full tax »

French economist Jean-Louis Caccomo, lamenting on the appalling state of Gallic economic knowledge and understanding, the resulting ambient stupidity and French panic over the slowing down of the U.S. economy, and the typical deadly and counterproductive measures to be expected, once again, from the French "authorities" in yet another professed attempt to "shield" the moribund French economy from the shockwaves of global recession: none of the critically needed reforms of the humungous State machine, even more public spending and, obligatory corollary, more taxes.

I'm roughly of the same age as J.L. Caccomo, and like him I've heard about the country's constant economic crisis, massive and ever growing unemployment rates on par with public spending and taxation, and therefore "requiring" a plethora of government "plans" measures and intervention that only make things worse, ever since I was old enough to understand articulate language.

Over these decades, and among the "people in charge", virtually nobody in France figured what "those stupid Americans" have known for some time: that the government can't be the solution to our problems, considering it is the problem.

Predictably — and as predicted here — Sarkozy is not different at all, and has already warned that, quote, « the coffers (sic) were empty » implying that, you know, very sorry and all, but the promised tax relief will have to be "postponed" — to provide some relief to the lavish lifestyle of the French State and sustainable opportunities for the creative minds of French technocrat-taxmen. Some eminent members of his government followed up, and start making the buzzing noise of tax raise, so common under these tropics ; Sarkozy himself set the example by devising a tax on Internet access to make for the loss of revenue in his plan of banning advertising on all state owned TV channels².

As noted by J.L. Caccomo — who was initially cautiously hopeful about the Super Sarko, but then nobody's perfect — even the Socialists agree about the "ineluctability of tax raise" in France's immediate future. Socialists always do.

Confronted to that pack of mobsters and racketeers, I submit that in France tax evasion is not just an act of civil disobedience but a true civic duty³.