Get lost, rich jerk: French tycoons in war of words over the rich tax

The tycoon stakeholder of French newspaper Liberation is defending his paper's stinging criticism of another tycoon: Europe's richest man, Bernard Arnault, who is seeking citizenship in Belgium, where taxes are lower. Edouard de Rothschild said his paper's controversial headline Monday that told Arnault — who's worth an estimated $41 billion — to "Get lost, rich jerk" amounted to a "beautiful marketing operation." It's thought that Arnault —the CEO of fashion giant LVMH — is trying to dodge the Socialist government's planned 75 percent tax on the highest earners — a charge he vehemently denies. Arnault is suing the paper for "public injury." In a jibe, Rothschild said he would pay French taxes "wholeheartedly." The newspaper plastered its Tuesday edition with ads for a top LVMH rival, fashion house YSL.