Switzerland: Cartoon Hollande sings satirical song about taxing the French

A Swiss band has released a satirical song in which Francois Hollande sings about the tax burden on French citizens.

The song Je Taxe (I Tax) by The Singing Pigeon is set to the tune of Je Chante (I Sing), a 1937 hit by French singer-songwriter Charles Trenet. In the accompanying video, a cartoon cut-out of the French president cycles through the Alps, passing billboards with slogans such as "For your comfort, the state will take two-thirds of your wages and investments."

But the French magazine Le Point says the pointed lyrics are more likely to engage the listener as France is "on the verge of hysterics" as its government plans to introduce more taxes in the New Year. But the song tickles its neighbours in Switzerland, provoking a "crisis of laughter", says the magazine.

"The rich and those who get up in the morning, I don't care about [them], they are useless," sings the cartoon president. "In any case, for job creation, in France we have the ENA." The ENA is the Ecole Nationale D'Administration, or National School of Administration - known as the school for top officials.

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