he fiscal arrangements in France sound more humane than ours.
French artist was recently assessed for tax purposes on an income last year of 600,000 frs., or about £600. His own impression s that he had, in fact, earned rather more than this, but as a tier of principle he went round to the authorities to protest inst victimisation. His interview lasted an hour. He emerged m it with the assessment cancelled and a certificate placing him the category "economiquement faible." This not only absolves from paying income-tax, but gets him (I think) cheap rates on railways and reduced prices at the public baths. In this country dly a week passes in which we are not reminded by the Chan- lor of the Exchequer that we are economiquement faible, a iedition of which, individually, we are only too conscious ; but Ms all too clear that he believes in a policy of faiblesse oblige, and progress to the workhouse is solaced by no half-price dips Ithe municipal baths.
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