France most successful in EU for FDI

[Armand2REP]

France most successful in EU for foreign direct investment

RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC in Paris

FOREIGN DIRECT investment (FDI) in France rose by 22 per cent last year, making it the most successful European country at attracting overseas companies.

In its annual report, published yesterday, France's Agency for International Investment – the equivalent of IDA Ireland – found that France had received $57.4 billion in foreign investment in 2010.

That makes it the leading destination for FDI in the European Union, ahead of Belgium ($50.5 billion), Britain ($46.2 billion) and Germany ($34.4 billion).

France is the third most attractive destination globally for foreign investment, behind the US and China.

The agency estimated that more than 30,000 jobs would be created or maintained in France by investments made in 2010. A total of 782 projects were confirmed, including six – accounting for just under 1,500 jobs – by Irish companies.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has said Ireland must raise its corporate tax rate from 12.5 per cent in exchange for a reduction in the interest rate on its bailout loans.

He accuses Ireland of "fiscal dumping", or gaining unfair advantage, with a headline rate considerably lower than France's 33.3 per cent.

However, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has cited a recent study showing that France's effective rate, when credits and incentives are taken into account, is 8.2 per cent, whereas Ireland's is 11 per cent.

This was described by a senior Élysée Palace official as "totally false", although it is cited in promotional literature published by the Agency for International Investment, a state body.

The annual report notes that France's research credit, which covers 40 per cent of all research and developing spending in the first year of business, is "one of the most attractive incentive schemes in the world".

"According to the OECD, France is the country with the most business-friendly tax treatment of RD," it states.

"More than one-quarter of the companies aware of the existence of the research tax credit considered this measure to be a major factor in their decision to locate RD activities in France."

The report cites a study by Ernst Young which showed that, in 2009, France received 16 per cent of foreign investment projects in the EU. Ireland attracted 3 per cent.

Welcoming the report's findings, Mr Sarkozy pointed to recent reforms aimed at modernising the economy, strengthening competitiveness and stimulating innovation. "These reforms are bearing fruit," he said.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/0330/1224293354832.html

 

[Nonynon]

I think if France rises that ridiculously young pension age then its economy would really boom. Well either that or find a way to increase the French birth rate...

 

[Armand2REP]

I think if France rises that ridiculously young pension age then its economy would really boom. Well either that or find a way to increase the French birth rate...

We already raised the pension age, it won't do anything about the economy except lower our deficit. If we really want to increase GDP, we need to get rid of the ridiculous 35hr work week and 8 week mandatory holiday.

 

[RedDragon]

Interesting, I think it is German, before.

 

[Armand2REP]

Interesting, I think it is German, before.

Huh? Germans can work 48 max, France tops out at 39 with a 35 standard work week.

 

[redragon]

French economy will be better, because the freedom fighters they saved in northern africa and middle-east will be cheap labours in France soon, French can have more vacation and French boss can explore those cheap labours to make more money, so please allow more regugees to go France.

 

[Armand2REP]

French economy will be better, because the freedom fighters they saved in northern africa and middle-east will be cheap labours in France soon, French can have more vacation and French boss can explore those cheap labours to make more money, so please allow more regugees to go France.

French economy is too advanced for any more unskilled workers. We send them to China to fill their empty factories.

 

[redragon]

French economy is too advanced for any more unskilled workers. We send them to China to fill their empty factories.

No, real French will never do that, because that will agaist freedom fighters' freedom, they love free French hate dictating China, they would love to stay in France, and French will respect people's choice, don't you see the moslim population is taking higher and higher percentage year after year in France?

 

[cw2005]

France is now demonstrating its fighters in North Africa in the hope to attract some buyers. So far, there are lot of talking but no confirmed order. However, the French made photographic lens Kinoptik is one of my two most favourable lens. The other one is Cooke of UK. French product is always high quality but too costly and sometimes price themselves out of the market.

 

[Armand2REP]

No, real French will never do that, because that will agaist freedom fighters' freedom, they love free French hate dictating China, they would love to stay in France, and French will respect people's choice, don't you see the moslim population is taking higher and higher percentage year after year in France?

Really? France already got 36,000 Chinese out and CCP loses of $20 billion by instigating this rebellion. There are plenty of Arabs in China, I see them every day. They are "flocking"... France fights this war so refugees can have a stable place to live, not flock over here.

 

[redragon]

France is now demonstrating its fighters in North Africa in the hope to attract some buyers. So far, there are lot of talking but no confirmed order. However, the French made photographic lens Kinoptik is one of my two most favourable lens. The other one is Cooke of UK. French product is always high quality but too costly and sometimes price themselves out of the market.

I heard today, US is using 90 fighters and France is using 33, so sorry, the show is still about US fighters, France might take the lead in 2050 as predict by Armand, just hope by that time some french weapon manufacturers still exist.

 

[redragon]

Really? France already got 36,000 Chinese out and CCP loses of $20 billion by instigating this rebellion. There are plenty of Arabs in China, I see them every day. They are "flocking"... France fights this war so refugees can have a stable place to live, not flock over here.

You can ask them will they choose France, I bet you they would love to stay, so please be nice and take them, unless you are not as nice as what you are trying to show. And you know better about the change in the combo of your demograhpic, remember the chaos in Paris? and by the way, what french did to the local freedom fighters was not really match to the rule of freedom, you should not beat them up and kill them, only dictator do that, so next be nicer, ok

 

[Armand2REP]

You can ask them will they choose France, I bet you they would love to stay, so please be nice and take them, unless you are not as nice as what you are trying to show. And you know better about the change in the combo of your demograhpic, remember the chaos in Paris? and by the way, what french did to the local freedom fighters was not really match to the rule of freedom, you should not beat them up and kill them, only dictator do that, so next be nicer, ok

Why would we ask them? Libyans don't even speak French. Our Muslims are mostly West Africans who speak French and half of which don't practice Islam. The only one beating, killing, and make disappear Muslims by the thousands is China. Africans and Arabs are flocking to China, I see them all over Guangzhou... everywhere.

 

[redragon]

Why would we ask them? Libyans don't even speak French. Our Muslims are mostly West Africans who speak French and half of which don't practice Islam. The only one beating, killing, and make disappear Muslims by the thousands is China. Africans and Arabs are flocking to China, I see them all over Guangzhou... everywhere.

Does not matter speak French or not, they will learn, and the bloody pictures showing your police trug beating up young Muslims are scary, and you guys has law to retrict Muslims' religion freedom, didn't you ban burqa? Don't worry all those africa and middle-east Muslims will select France over China any time, because your economy is so good, you are so rich and you are so pro freedom and support those poor and freedom fighters, that is why I agree with you France will be No 1 by 2050, cheers,

 

[Nonynon]

We already raised the pension age, it won't do anything about the economy except lower our deficit. If we really want to increase GDP, we need to get rid of the ridiculous 35hr work week and 8 week mandatory holiday.

Yea but the pension age is still very low. Though looking at the riots that happened last time the pension age was raised I don't think raising it more is possible at the moment. Every year is extremely critical because it makes the country get another year of taxes and another year less of feeding a guy, so its a double gain.

And I'd like to ask, do you fear the possibility that immigrants will make up a lot more of the French population, possibly the majority and Islam possibly the main French religion? The Immigrants already showed a lot of them aren't willing to become French and loss their old culture as well as stick together in the form of rioting when something they don't like happens to part of them. For example, a few years ago I remember this Immigrant got jailed for something and all his friends (was a few hundred people if I'm correct) from town started rioting and attacking police officers as a result.

 

[AOE]

I don't think the French population will be swamped by muslims, yes there's a high influx of muslim immigrants from North Africa, but they would have to have children not only at the rate as the average French couple, but also at a rate that would eventually create a population half the size of France for their religion to become the main one. Non-religious groups are the fastest growing in the world at present, not muslims. I think the argument you've put forward sounds like it came from Mark Steyn, but his finding has been largely disproven because sources for muslim birth rates in many parts of Europe aren't usually recorded and can vary.

 

[Armand2REP]

Yea but the pension age is still very low. Though looking at the riots that happened last time the pension age was raised I don't think raising it more is possible at the moment. Every year is extremely critical because it makes the country get another year of taxes and another year less of feeding a guy, so its a double gain.

Retirement age is 62, but the catch has always been you have to contribute 40 years to the social security system. If you work that long, you deserve a pension. In the US, you get an SS cheque if you only work a couple of years so people leech off that system. We don't have that in the French pensioners. Immigrants are ineligible for pensions unless they come in their early 20s and work for 40 years.

And I'd like to ask, do you fear the possibility that immigrants will make up a lot more of the French population, possibly the majority and Islam possibly the main French religion? The Immigrants already showed a lot of them aren't willing to become French and loss their old culture as well as stick together in the form of rioting when something they don't like happens to part of them. For example, a few years ago I remember this Immigrant got jailed for something and all his friends (was a few hundred people if I'm correct) from town started rioting and attacking police officers as a result.

No, that Yank myth has no bearing in reality. Of the 6 million Muslims here, half of them are not Muslim. They are counted as Muslim because they come from Muslim West Africa but they do not practice. There are only 400 mosques in France with another 1300 little community gathering spots... you mean to tell me that serves 6 million people? What is interesting is the growth of Evangelical Christian churches, they now number over 2000. Many of those "so called" Muslims go there. In retrospect, there are over 40,000 churches in France on the same size as their 400 mosques. Less than 1% of worship places there. The rioting has less to do with religion and more to do with treatment of immigrants. Not really worried about the spread of Islam as 9-11 has seen 20,000 Muslims convert to Christianity per year with practically none going to Islam. Another 26,000 get deported back to their country of origin. Our conversions are beating back their birthrates and many of their indifference to religion shows how overinflated the figures were to begin with.

What is scary is that Sarko is starting to believe the hype.