French acting legend Gérard Depardieu said he was surrendering his French passport after France's prime minister called his move to Belgium for tax reasons "pathetic."
The acting legend had come under criticism last week for declaring permanent residency in the Belgian town of Néchin – allegedly to duck out on France's new 75% tax on its wealthiest resident.
In an open letter to French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in France's weekly Le Journal Du Dimanche, Depardieu said that over a period of 45 years he has paid 145 million euros in taxes and employed 80 people.
"Gégé" seems adamant on leaving France – but why choose to hole up in Belgium when there are plenty of other perfectly good places where the wine-loving, plane-urinating, trouble-stirring screen icon could move?
Here are our suggestions:
1. Green (White And Red) Card
Renouncing French cuisine must be tough for such a famous bon vivant... The mussels and waffles in Belgium might get boring after a while, so why not move to Italy?
2. Kampai, Depardieu-san!
Knowing that Depardieu, a renowned vineyard owner, is already co-president of the Saké Drinkers Association, looking for a new home in Japan seems quite natural.
3. Cyrano de Uzbekistan
The acting legend has also made himself famous for lending legitimacy to the autocratic regimes of Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov and Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov... Why not just move there altogether?
4. Astérix & Obélix in Congo
The now XXL 63-year-old became a cinema icon in 1974 after appearing (much more slimly) in the ramshackle roadmovie Les Valseuses – with several scenes involving Depardieu in his birthday suit. Sea, sex and sun? Let's go to Congo!
5. The ultimate tax evasion
Nobody's going to ask you to pay taxes on the moon, though the ride in the space suit might prove as tricky as on an Air France plane in case "Gégé" needs to take a leak...
