France is a country of corporations and salaried employees -- the elites and the unions. The contempt for anyone daring to operate outside of that system is palpable, and it's reflected in their fiscal treatment. Most salaried French employees are only dinged 13 percent for social charges -- and for that price you also get unemployment benefits and an annual five weeks of paid leave. The self-employed get none of that for social taxes that are in some cases more than three times higher.