( CNN ) -- France is en vogue at the moment . Its parliament has backed gay marriage , `` Les Miserables '' has taken the movie world by storm , McDonald 's is launching the `` McCamembert '' Burger and David Beckham has jetted in to join the French Revolution at Paris Saint-Germain . Vive le France ? Not so for those earning more than $ 1.3 million a year , especially after Socialist President Francois Hollande announced he would introduce a top income tax rate of 75 % . It has become a real point of contention , with some -- including top sports stars -- threatening to move abroad . Depardieu ditches France for Putin 's Russia . Renowned actor Gerard Depardieu has already taken up the offer of Russian citizenship , despite France 's constitutional court vetoing Hollande 's proposal . But while the plans over taxation are on hold , those involved with the nation 's football are worried that their star assets are heading to the United Kingdom and abroad to seek sanctuary . `` What you see is that French football loses good players , all leaving for England , so the Premier League will be above all the other leagues , '' Marseille manager Elie Baup told reporters . `` In France , because of the financial side , we will have to work on young players or with recruits not well known , and then we 'll make them big , and they 'll go to England again . We are entering this 'cycle . ' `` During the January transfer window , international striker Loic Remy left French title contender Marseille to move to Queens Park Rangers , a club which was bottom of the English Premier League and threatened with relegation . Football 's middle men eye rich pickings in transfer window . Even more remarkably in January , no less than five Frenchman made the switch to Newcastle , a move which led to the hanging of the `` Tricolor '' in the EPL club 's canteen . Lille 's Mathieu Debuchy , Montpellier 's Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa , Massadio Haidara from Nancy , Toulouse 's Moussa Sissoko and Bordeaux 's Yoann Gouffran all made the move to the north east of England . They should feel at home as there 's already more than a hint of Gallic flair at St. James ' Park , with the wonderfully talented pair of Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa at the club , as well as the likes of Sylvain Marveaux , Gabriel Obertan and Romain Amalfitano . `` I 'm not surprised that they want to play there because it 's the best league , but I am surprised by just how many French players have gone there at the same time , '' former Newcastle and France player Didier Domi told CNN . However , Domi insisted that financial motivation was not the reason for this footballing exodus to Newcastle . `` Tax is not a big factor . The biggest draw is the chance to play in front of packed stadia every week , '' he said . `` It 's the place where all players want to play . When the French players come back to France after a spell in England , they all talk about how great it is . `` It 's professional , it has great fans and atmosphere and it 's where all the best players are . I loved it at Newcastle . The fans and people of the north east are so friendly and full of warmth . '' Mickelson has a point on taxes . In the last French election , held in May 2012 -- the French population in London was given the opportunity to vote on the establishment of a parliamentary member for Northern Europe . There are 120,000 officially registered as living in the British capital , but one of those -- politician Axelle Lemaire -- believes the total is nearer 400,000 . Before winning that parliamentary ballot , as a representative of Hollande 's Socialist Party , Lemaire lived and worked in London for 12 years . `` Many people come and go between the two countries thanks to the new transport links and there are a lot of younger people who come to London and move on afterwards , '' she told CNN . `` I arrived in London 12 years ago and I remember reading the headlines in the newspapers then about how French people were moving for tax reasons . `` But the reality is very different . Even now there is a lot being written about people leaving because of the 75 % tax reasons . I 've not seen any serious figures supporting this . The reality is very different . `` People come here for a whole variety of reasons : to study , to work , to learn English , for love , for the international dimension of the UK . `` Taxes , at the end , are pretty similar in the two countries , and constitute very rarely a reason to move out . `` It has become more and more normal to spend some time in your career or to study abroad . `` Some stay and some leave after a while . Sometimes , bi-national couples move to France if they have a second child because the cost of living is expensive here . '' Why Depardieu 's 'pathetic ' desertion has caused French storm . Lemaire also doubts that recent raft of French arrivals at Newcastle has anything to do with the levels of tax in their own country . `` I think it 's a misconception to say they 're here because of taxes , '' she said . `` These players are young and earning their first big contract in a very good club and that 's a great opportunity for them . `` ' I do n't think they 've thought to themselves , ' I want to leave for tax reasons . ' `` Dubbed `` Neufchateau '' by the French media , Newcastle is in many ways no different from many other Premier League clubs in luring talent from across the Channel . The likes of Thierry Henry , Patrick Vieira , Nicolas Anelka , Emmanuel Petit , Marcel Desailly and Claude Makelele are just some of those to enjoy huge success in England . While the typical English football fan might refer to the French as `` Frogs '' and take pleasure in mentioning the military victories at Waterloo and Agincourt , the acceptance of French talent on the football field has never been in doubt . One Frenchman who made the move to England and then to Newcastle was football writer Kevin Quignane , who believes the most difficult task facing his fellow countrymen is understanding the locals ' notorious `` Geordie '' accent . `` There was indeed a bit of a linguistic shock , '' Quignane recalled following his arrival in the city . `` I 'd say that a true , thick Geordie accent is more difficult to understand than a broad Yorkshire brogue , which in itself can be pretty challenging . `` I just could n't understand our next door neighbor and my partner , who is herself a Geordie , also had great trouble . `` It really can be challenging but by and large , most locals speak with a mild Geordie accent , thank God . That or I 've got so used to it that I do n't notice anymore . '' While it might take time for the newcomers to adapt to the local lingo and swap their Chardonnay for a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale , Quignane believes the recent arrivals will enjoy life in the city . `` Newcastle 's stock as a city has risen tremendously in the last decade , '' he added . `` It 's now seen as a vibrant , party-going and sexy place , but it was a very different story 10 years earlier with the demise of the mines and shipyards and the Meadow Well riots in 1991 . `` The Quayside , now Newcastle 's nightlife epicenter -- revamped and regenerated -- was a mess back then . '' Beckham to donate PSG wages to children 's charity . Back in France the arrival of a world superstar in Beckham at Paris Saint-Germain has helped softened the blow of so many departing French players . The midfielder signed a five-month deal with PSG last month and has pledged to donate his salary to a children 's charity within the city . And while worries persist over the numbers of young French players moving aboard , Beckham arrives at a time where big-name foreign players are playing a starring role in Ligue 1 . Backed by its Qatari-based owners , PSG recently paid out $ 52.8 million for young Brazilian Lucas Moura after securing a $ 72 million deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and defender Thiago Silva from Milan last July . The club has qualified for the quarterfinals of the Champions League and leads the domestic title race . `` I am very glad , '' Lemaire said of Beckham 's arrival in the French capital . `` I think that it 's great that he decided to move to Paris and to donate his wages to charity . It 's a very good example . `` It also shows that Paris is a good club and an attractive city . ''
English club Newcastle has seen an influx of French footballers to Premier League . Several French stars looking abroad with government planning to raise funds . Former Newcastle defender Claude Domi celebrates French revolution at club . French MP labels tax exodus from her homeland as a ` ` misconception ''