Are Bono's tax affairs any of my business?

cremeegg said:
Absolutely, we should not support the developing world because Bono tells us we should and he is a hypocrite.
Click to expand...

I should have said - he loses all moral standing as a champion of the cause by his conduct, and if we assume his earlier support helped the cause, then we must conclude that the loss of this moral standing now harms it.
 
Last edited:
Of course you can only ever be labelled a hypocrite if you put your name and identity to the opinions you voice. If you hide behind a pseudonym you can rant away til doomsday and nobody can call out your hypocrisy.
 
I agree if someone has done nothing wrong, then their business is their own business. I'm more interested in how these favourable tax options are available, and known to be available, to certain sectors of society and certain businesses, whilst everyone else appears not to be able to avail of these favourable tax options.
Can I open an account in Panama and request my employer to pay my wages, before tax, into that account?
 
Seems like Bono's tax affairs are of public interest to the good citizens and authorities of Lithuania:
Bono owns a stake in a Maltese company that bought the mall via a Lithuanian holding company in 2007. The enterprise, in the Lithuanian city of Utena, is now under investigation for possible tax avoidance, after it allegedly avoided paying £41,500 (€47,000) in local taxes using an unlawful accounting technique, they reported.

http://www.thejournal.ie/bono-paradise-papers-3683588-Nov2017/
 
TheBigShort said:
I'm more interested in how these favourable tax options are available, and known to be available, to certain sectors of society and certain businesses, whilst everyone else appears not to be able to avail of these favourable tax options.
Click to expand...

True BigShort, very true. There are a number of sectors that pay zero tax, horse industry, gamblers, artists etc. More that pay tax at a lower rate than the general public, corporation tax payers.
It makes the accumulation of wealth very easy when you are paying none or very little tax.
The normal tax payers do "carry" these sectors and have the right to feel a bit aggrieved about it.
 
RichInSpirit said:
True BigShort, very true. There are a number of sectors that pay zero tax, horse industry, gamblers, artists etc. More that pay tax at a lower rate than the general public, corporation tax payers.
It makes the accumulation of wealth very easy when you are paying none or very little tax.
The normal tax payers do "carry" these sectors and have the right to feel a bit aggrieved about it.
Click to expand...


The fun bit here is the old idea it takes money to make money. If you want the tax savers the others have pay the money to get it but to most people that makes no logic. To the ordinary person paying €500 an hour to a PWC partner to come up with the scheme wont work as it will cost more then it saves. But paying the €200 an hour to a small accounting firm tax partner may work when you have a large lump sum to invest but the plan they come up with will not be as big as what you read about in the papers
 
Until someone is found guilty they are innocent in most society's. Gossips can talk all they want about other peoples business but that's all it is, ie, gossip. Also remember, there's an awful difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. One is legal the other isn't and if someone has found a way of paying less, fair play to him/her. It's their right.
 
noproblem said:
Also remember, there's an awful difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. One is legal the other isn't and if someone has found a way of paying less, fair play to him/her. It's their right.
Click to expand...

It's also the right of people to lambast and criticize someone and call them a hypocrite when they avail of all those legal means yet think they can lecture the rest of us on how we're not spending enough money on X.
 
An interesting thread, I can recall some years back when the Joshua Tree was released and Bono was expounding what a great country ireland was to live in, when I advised the attendant few that the band paid little or no tax, the look of total and utter disbelief was a joy to behold.!!

Bono does a lot of good but his hand clap in glasgow did not go down very well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top