Put your money where your mouth is, Bono.

> So, it's OK for citizens to pay tax up to 42%

Yes and as an Irish citizen and Irish resident any income he makes in a personal capacity will be taxed in exactly the same way as yours. Asuming you pay all your tax of course.

Only the bands music publishing business is being moved. And businesses in Ireland already pay a lower rate than individuals so unless you want to bump up corporation tax to 20% and 42% bands then the comparisons you are drawing between U2 and Mr Joe PAYE are spurious.

If you do tax business the same as individuals then believe me, Bono won't be your biggest problem.

-Rd

Yes and as an Irish citizen and Irish resident any income he makes in a personal capacity will be taxed in exactly the same way as yours.

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So what?

.....Asuming you pay all your tax of course

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That comment doesn't warrant a response - or is the steam being generated getting too hot for civilised comment? Most AAM-ers are well aware that our low Corporation taxes have brought a lot of investment into the country and helped create the Celtic Tiger. It's obviously regrettable that even that paltry contribution was too much for the little man.

For me the hypocrits are the people who criticise him for his actions, while they would all do the same thing themselves.

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That's an assumption which is spurious in the extreme and has no validity.

I understand your point that it's not his move overseas that annoys you, but is preaching. That's a valid opinion. everyone has a right to have a crusade and everyone else has a right to criticise them for it.

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Good! Agreement at last

That comment doesn't warrant a response

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I don't see why. It's a perfectly reasonably comment. I know no more about your finances than you do about Bono's, so I make the assumption that yours are in order. Are you saying I'm wrong to make that assumption?

It's obviously regrettable that even that paltry contribution was too much for the little man.

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It may be regrettable but is it worthy of the vitriol you and others are heaping on him? Quite frankly if that's how the people of Ireland feel about him then I see no reason why he should feel compelled out of patriotism or whatever to continue paying taxes.

Good! Agreement at last

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Nice bit of selective quoting there. I've always wondered who people thought they were fooling when they did that. The original post is right above it. Or did you just stop reading when you found a bit you liked.

Here... I'll help you out with the bit you missed..

> But I don't think anyone has a right to claim that a particular persons
> crusade is insincere, or self-serving.

-Rd

There is no reason or rationality informing many people's opinion of Bono. People choose to ignore that he gets no particular benefit from doing what he does for AIDS relief or to highlight poverty. They choose to ignore that he has been consistent for over 20 years in his views and actions. Many of those views informed by the time that he and his wife spent in Ethiopia after LiveAid. They choose to ignore that he chooses not to publicise any private donations that he makes while at the same time accusing him of being a shameless self-publicist. They choose to ignore that he has a well thought out understanding of the real problems that face the 3rd world and Africa in particular and that his views have informed and educated the wider debate about what should be done to alleviate the unimaginable suffering and injustice that a large proportion of the world faces every day.
Does someone have to be poor for their views on poverty to be legitimate? Do they have to give up their day job? The irony is that if Bono were using his celebrity to sell consumer goods no one would bat an eye. Is seems that the fact that he uses his celebrity in part to do good is not acceptable.
I think it would be shameful for a man in his position to remain silent on these issues.

I have loads of money in the eyes of some people and I also think it's shameful that we as a country do not give 0.7% of GDP in aid to poor countries. Am I not entitled to that view because of my income level or the fact that I use a section 23 property to avoid paying tax?

U2 is a business employing dozens if not hundreds of people. The idea that they should not minimise their tax liability if laughable and shows a dislocation from reality in those that think it is not.

netherland gives .8%. assume government aid alone.combined with personal donations whats the total for netherlands? what's the total for this country combining government and personal? I don't have the figures and maybe its not possible to quantify,I am not trying to excuse the government for their failure to reach this target earlier than 2012 but I would be interested in the % of personal contributions in netherlands and this country. it might be like the health system in scandanavian countries ie you pay a higher tax on your earnings but you dont need vhi. maybe the dutch government/people make their contributions through tax and not individual overseas organisations. congratulations to them though for donating such a high amount to worse off countires.

It's a valid point cuchulainn. I expect the donations from Ireland would be on the high end of the chart.

Of course the people who curse Bono for taking his tax out of the country are only referring to the government donation. Bono's music publishing earnings are not going to affect the amount you or I donate.

I presume the money he donates personally would be included in the calculation of non-government donations that you speak of, and that will continue as it has always been, he still lives here.

It probably is impossible to quantify private donations, because each persons donations are their own business, but a good starting point might be to look at the accounts of the top 2 or 3 charities in Ireland, since I'm sure the bulk of their donations come from Irish people.

-Rd

Slightly off topic, but still generally slagging the Great One.
Did anyone else notice Bono jumping into a big 4 wheel drive SUV after his court appearance yesterday? Nothing wrong with that ye may say, so it's not exactly a Prius, but hey, not even Bono is perfect
No, my query is this - did my eyes deceive me or is there a taxi plate on the roof?? Now, I'm not sure, if a) it was indeed a taxi plate or b) if it was actually a taxi that he'd managed to hail down.

At a U2 concert in Glasgow, Bono asks the audience for some quiet.
Then in the silence, he starts to slowly clap his hands. Holding the audience
in total silence, he says into the microphone "Every time I clap my hands, a
child in Africa dies."
A voice from near the front pierces the silence;
"Well, stop f**king clapping then."

To be honest, it is that kinda thing that really annoys me about Bono. I don't doubt he does an awful lot of good for some very worthy causes and alot of the critisism on this thread is unjustified, but having said that, I don't go to U2 concerts to get preached to about dying African children. I have just paid EUR 70 to listen to a band play live and I am sure that money would be much better spent on those Children but that is the price to see U2 live and I decided to pay it so why do I need him making me feel guilty half way through the concert about spending money to see him? I am not surprised the other band members get annoyed with him at times.

I don't particularly like some of what goes on at U2 gigs either.
My defense of the guy and the band on this thread is strictly limited to their right to move their business where they see fit. I also don't agree with people claiming his campaign is insincere or self serving, without something other than a personal dislike of the guy to back it up.
I think there's ample evidence that he is sincere, and that he is doing some good.

Beyond that people are free to criticise the actual substance of what he says, how he says it, when he says it, how it affects their enjoyment of the music etc.

-Rd

Bono was singing about Bloody Sunday and shooting videos in Poland when Duran Duran were singing about Girls on Film and shooting videos in the Carribean, and that was when Poland was behind the Iron Curtain.

Therefore, I don't think anyone can doubt that Bono has always been politically aware and has some opinions.

Nor do I object to him trying to maximise profit, he's not doing anything that most people in the same situation wouldn't do.

But it does seem hypocritical that he should be lecturing so many of the world's governments with his debt forgiveness spiel at the same time he's trying to minimise his tax bill. He leaves himself open to the retort, "if people like you didn't try to minimise your tax bill with tax avoidance measures like this, then we would be sooner able to afford the debt writeoff".

Glenbhoy said:

A bit unfair, we have no idea what Bono does with his private wealth, and surely any company is entitled to plan effectively to minimise their tax bill. Surely by this token, Bill Gates could be castigated for Microsoft having their European HQ here so as to minimise tax liabilities??

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Remember Bill gates has given over 25 Billion of his own money to the poor, and plans to give all but a few % away before he dies, so please dont put him in the same bracket as Mr Bono.

On the topic of the court case, it should be noted that this is a side show to the case in London where Bono and U2 are suing sued for deformation of character by their former stylist because he said that he didn't give the disputed items. They have to take her to court here, as it will have a bearing on the case in London so in a way she is the protagonist in this case and is certainly the protagonist in the bigger battle.