The “level of violence and drugs (is) killing Melbourne”.That’s the message from the boss of a cult bakery empire valued at $800 million, which is set to drastically scale back its operations in the food capital of Australia.Laurent Bakery, which has positioned itself as an upscale offering in affluent suburbs like Camberwell, Brighton, Balwyn, Albert Park and Kew, will close five of 17 stores, including its CBD location, citing high rents and crime in Melbourne.A report published by in News Corp papers this week quotes 62-year-old founder Laurent Boillon as saying “I can’t be bothered, it’s too hard” and that the inner city is “dead”.The French-born Boillon, who moved to Australia with just $400 before opening his first boutique bakery in South Yarra in 1993, is now behind the $800m empire.But he says Australia’s tax system is making it harder for entrepreneurs to get ahead and that his youngest son is making a go of it in the United States.The concerns about crime and red tape in Victoria are not exclusive to the Laurent founder. News.com.au in December spoke to business owners and billionaire property developers who said they are walking away from generational projects because of major tax and crime concerns. Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black said the state is sending a clear sign to the rest of the country: “Wrong way - Go back”.“If the state that built Australia’s manufacturing heart is to turn things around, it must start by addressing uncompetitive business taxes and onerous licensing and regulatory requirements,” he said.On taxes, he said “Victoria is officially the most punitive state in Australia”.“Whether it’s onerous taxes, or too much red tape, I often hear from my members that Victoria has become an increasingly harder place to do business and invest,” he told news.com.au.“Australia’s second largest economy matters — we need Victoria to be a success.”A factory owner from Dandenong told news.com.au that Victoria was “a comedy” but “the joke is killing us”.Angie Romas, the boss of a company involved in major building projects from Docklands Stadium to Southern Cross Station, said his land tax bill for the 17-hectare site has skyrocketed under successive Labor governments in Victoria from $8703 in 2015 to $203,600 in 2025.“This is not a government. This is a rabble taking our money,” he told news.com.au.“I won’t be hanging around (the next few years) to pay half a million dollars in land tax to a government because I’m working hard. Why should we give that much for nothing? We’ve gotta get out in the next 12 to 18 months.”Small cafe owners are also feeling what Mr Boillon is feeling. News.com.au recently spoke with Moustafa Saoud, the owner of Eleven: 11 cafe in Buckley Street, Footscray.He revealed he was giving up on his dream after a brutal and unprovoked attack captured on CCTV.It showed a hooded man walk through the front doors, approach Mr Saoud behind the counter and throw a punch directly at his mouth.In the vision, Mr Saoud scrambles for safety, but the assault continues. When his attacker is done, he calmly walks back out the front door.Supermarket chain Ritchies faced similar incidents almost daily trying to run a business in a state where violent youths think they’re untouchable.Speaking to media in September, Ritchies IGA chief executive Fred Harrison said crime had reached a “crisis point” where “you’ve got to question when leases come up (whether you) want to remain in this area.”Ritchies has 85 stores in Australia, including 52 in Victoria, but Mr Harrison says no other state faces the same tests Victoria does.“I’d say 95 per cent of the issues that we are having today as a business are all in Victoria,” he said.Crime rates in Victoria mercifully fell in the latest official count after reaching record highs in recent years.Overall youth crime dropped by two per cent, but adult crime rose by more than 10 per cent. Much of that related to increases in retail theft. Read related topics:Melbourne