11–20 of 64 posts
If things don't improve soon, France (and other countries) will have to resort to the same thing - and it's a bad thing since it's hard to come back from that, when everyone gets their share independently and no one follows the rules anymore.
Heh, you know how developing countries "solve" the bureaucracy problem? Through corruption! A few hundred [local_currency] here and there and you've got your business started in no time. If things don't improve soon, France (and other countries) will have to resort to the same thing - and it's a bad thing since it's hard to come back from that, when everyone gets their share independently and no one follows the rules…
True and this "grease lubricating the economic engine" does "work" on a small scale. Problem in an environment where pervasive corruption trumps over "rule of law" for the small honest budding startup up-start -- there's always be someone bigger with better connections and deeper pockets willing to outbid you when it comes to securing local market dominance which will more than pay off their elbowing-you-out ;)
Still, you have a point. A western-style rule-of-law environment is generally better for business and worth paying some amount of taxes -- within reason. But there comes a point where the tax and regulation codes do overwhelm small agile but resource-limited up-starts. (Of course there's still many success stories, but they have perhaps much to do with pressing forward relentlessly at the slight risk of perhaps missing one minor regulation or other tax facet and simply inadvertently gambling on the very tiny off-chance of doing so actually blowing them up.)
Then if you do decide "taxes and regulations are really kind of too expensive but still just-about worth it for just and fair legal protection", you'll be well advised to keep telling yourself that fairytale where your taxes are directly funding a functioning well-balanced governance system, rather than being simply a metric used NOT even to pay interest on the governments past and present outsized debt excesses --which would be crazy enough, but nowadays your average western "non-corrupt" government will borrow even for interest payments-- BUT simply for said government to reach some kind of good agency rating as a "quality" borrower.
Heh, you know how developing countries "solve" the bureaucracy problem? Through corruption! A few hundred [local_currency] here and there and you've got your business started in no time. If things don't improve soon, France (and other countries) will have to resort to the same thing - and it's a bad thing since it's hard to come back from that, when everyone gets their share independently and no one follows the rules…
> Heh, you know how developing countries "solve" the bureaucracy problem? Through corruption! True and this "grease lubricating the economic engine" does "work" on a small scale. Problem in an environment where pervasive corruption trumps over "rule of law" for the small honest budding startup up-start -- there's always be someone bigger with better connections and deeper pockets willing to outbid you when it comes t…
> “Generally, if you are self-made man and earn money, you are looked at with suspicion,” > there’s a deep-rooted feeling that you don’t show that you make money > It’s more like, if someone has something I can’t have, I’d rather deprive this person from having it than trying to work hard to get it myself This. A lot of people still don't understand money can me made . They see succesfull men and woman and assume the…
" They see succesfull men and woman and assume the money must have been stolen instead of made. " Well, that's textbook Marxism, strong here in the US, I assume much stronger in France (after all the French Communist Party is still competitive to a fair degree, per Wikipedia was part of the "Plural Left" coalition that held the legislature from 1997–2002). ADDED: and our path is particularly odd there: as has been jo…
> “Generally, if you are self-made man and earn money, you are looked at with suspicion,” > there’s a deep-rooted feeling that you don’t show that you make money > It’s more like, if someone has something I can’t have, I’d rather deprive this person from having it than trying to work hard to get it myself This. A lot of people still don't understand money can me made . They see succesfull men and woman and assume the…
Secondly, is it reasonable to assume that one might find distaste for people with money who flaunt it? And that this might cause one to share that distaste for others with money, even if they don't flaunt to such a degree? I realize the latter half is a generalization that can cause problems, I'm just trying to state a rather "human" response. If it is constantly shoved in your face that certain people drive cars worth enough that it could bring your family out of debt for life, you may grow bitter at this.
I believe money can be made, I just also believe there are a lot of "bad actors" in the system, for whom it is "stolen" to some degree, and it only seems to be becoming more common.
> “Generally, if you are self-made man and earn money, you are looked at with suspicion,” > there’s a deep-rooted feeling that you don’t show that you make money > It’s more like, if someone has something I can’t have, I’d rather deprive this person from having it than trying to work hard to get it myself This. A lot of people still don't understand money can me made . They see succesfull men and woman and assume the…
" They see succesfull men and woman and assume the money must have been stolen instead of made. " Well, that's textbook Marxism, strong here in the US, I assume much stronger in France (after all the French Communist Party is still competitive to a fair degree, per Wikipedia was part of the "Plural Left" coalition that held the legislature from 1997–2002). ADDED: and our path is particularly odd there: as has been jo…
> “Generally, if you are self-made man and earn money, you are looked at with suspicion,” > there’s a deep-rooted feeling that you don’t show that you make money > It’s more like, if someone has something I can’t have, I’d rather deprive this person from having it than trying to work hard to get it myself This. A lot of people still don't understand money can me made . They see succesfull men and woman and assume the…
" They see succesfull men and woman and assume the money must have been stolen instead of made. " Well, that's textbook Marxism, strong here in the US, I assume much stronger in France (after all the French Communist Party is still competitive to a fair degree, per Wikipedia was part of the "Plural Left" coalition that held the legislature from 1997–2002). ADDED: and our path is particularly odd there: as has been jo…
A goofy quote from G.W. Bush relaunched by Newsweek some months ago.
It's been estimated that between 70 000 and 300 000 French live in the U.K so I really doubt that 350 000 entrepreneurs live in England (granted the article also use the more wide "French nationals", but still).
> “Generally, if you are self-made man and earn money, you are looked at with suspicion,” > there’s a deep-rooted feeling that you don’t show that you make money > It’s more like, if someone has something I can’t have, I’d rather deprive this person from having it than trying to work hard to get it myself This. A lot of people still don't understand money can me made . They see succesfull men and woman and assume the…
I don't mean to play devils advocate here, but let me apply two other possible interpretations: My statistical prior that someone with money did questionable things to obtain it has only been rising with time as I see increasing evidence of illicit business practices among the highest earners. (everything from insider trading to the more recent wage fixing). Secondly, is it reasonable to assume that one might find di…
- cost/quality of life favorable to Paris by a large margin
- France is 2nd biggest consumer market in Europe, giant opportunities still open there (like Germany)
- a gifted talent scene, among which many are short on capital/language to work elsewhere in Europe
- google campus is 2.5h away door to door
- buzzing US community here
- world hub for fashion and 3d
Yes, there are more of this in London: - capital (London is a fiscal paradise)
- big startups
- middlemen (all things admin to outsource)
- flexible offices (this is changing fast though)
- English speakers
This article (and main character) feels like a giant whine/rant.
If you want a quick buck, London's great- though expect everyone to be working on a booking.com-like something or "Airbnb for x".
As for the next 2 decades, I bet that Paris and Berlin will take off just as smoothly.