Hollande Inspires Fury Among French Business Community

Investors and taxpayers are fleeing as businesses declare bankruptcy

France is sliding into a grave economic crisis and risks a full-blown "hurricane" as investors flee rocketing tax rates, the country's business federation has warned.

The situation is very serious. Some business leaders are in a state of quasi-panic," said Laurence Parisot, head of employers' group MEDEF.

"The pace of bankruptcies has accelerated over the summer. We are seeing a general loss of confidence by investors. Large foreign investors are shunning France altogether. It's becoming really dramatic."

MEDEF, France's equivalent of the CBI, said the threat has risen from "a storm warning to a hurricane warning", adding that the Socialist government of François Hollande has yet to understand the "extreme gravity" of the crisis.