Protest at U2's tax exile status

Dub13

Does anybody know if many turned up for this...?

The IrishTimes

Protest at U2's tax exile status

RONAN McGREEVY

Protesters have demonstrated outside the Department of Finance against U2’s decision to move their tax affairs to the Netherlands to avoid paying tax on their royalties in Ireland.

The protest was organised by the Debt and Development Coalition Ireland (DDCI) which campaigns on issues related to the developing world. The coalition contains such organisations as Concern Worldwide, Trócaire, Oxfam and various Catholic missionary orders.

U2 moved their publishing arm to the Netherlands in 2006 after the Government capped tax-free earnings for artists at €250,000. Previously, U2 had been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Ireland's tax-free status for artist royalties.

The coalition met Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan who pointed out that the Government had abolished the Cinderella rule where people could say they had not spent a day in Ireland if they left by midnight.

“We have tax treaties with other countries that regulate where you pay tax. There is a problem with smaller countries that have to set up deliberate tax havens. We are raising that at EU level,” the Minister said though he did not address the specific issue of U2’s tax affairs. The band are resident in Ireland for tax purposes.

Accounts for 2007 for U2 Ltd show the band paid out more than €21 million in wages in 2007 in a relatively quiet year where they were not touring or releasing new material.

Bono impersonator Paul O’Toole reworked the lyrics of I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For to mock the band’s decision. “I know avoiding tax ain’t fair/it’s just because I’m a millionaire, I don’t need to pay like you, no, I won’t pay like you/because I still haven’t learned about democracy.”

Mr O’Toole said: “Their music does not bother me. It is their policy of avoiding tax that bothers me. Bono talks about dead kids, but he won’t pay a penny towards it.”

Mr O’Toole posed with a mock-up of a donation to the world's poor in one hand and a large sack of unpaid tax in the other.

The DDCI is following it up with the launch of an “international song contest” inviting re-worded versions of U2 classics to highlight the band’s stance on tax.

It is timed to coincide with the release of U2's new album No Line on the Horizon which goes on sale at midnight on Friday.

DDCI co-ordinator Nessa ní Chasaíde said the decision to holding the protest outside the department of Finance was to highlight the fact that U2’s tax avoidance measures deprives the Irish exchequer of taxation revenue that could be spent on development aid.

“Bono has championed the call for increases in aid to impoverished countries, yet in his personal life he is engaged in tax avoidance issues and it is tax avoidance that is undermining the possibility of developing countries fighting their way out of poverty,” she said.

“The practice of being able to move your finances around easily and without high levels of transparency is extremely problematic for developing countries. The kind of practice that U2 is engaging in is part of that problem.”

Nobody from U2 was available for comment, but the band will defend their tax measures in an extensive interview to be published in this newspaper on Friday.

super_furry

Greedy twats. I'll take pleasure in illegally downloading their album.

Then deleting it, because they're ****e.

Jesus Wept

Here we go again.

Oh The Humanity

They truly are sh1te and have been for many years.

Can they not remove themselves to the Netherlands and get the fook out of the newspapers.

I refuse to read the daily Bono/U2 story and Im sure the vast majority of people also do.....are there no marketing people taking note of this fact and realising that the daily Bono/U2 story is an eyesore and needs to be removed....FORTHWITH !

kevmy

Don't understand the big deal.

They done it a couple of years ago.

They can do what they want with their own tax affairs.

Bono gives plenty of money to charities himself so I don't see how U2 not paying tax here affects things in that regard.

Anyway Bono does pay tax here just not the publishing arm of U2 (which has 4 other members the 3 lads and Paul McGuinness)

Jesus Wept

Oh The Humanity wrote: »

I refuse to read the daily Bono/U2 story

..

chin_grin

So when are we gonna create the sticky "AH:Breaking News" thread?

I think the less Ireland has to do with U2 the better.

(played over black and white images of the band)
Please, if you love Bono and the Edge enough take them in as your own. Give x euro a month and you can have a personal band to do to as you wish. Personally? Slow and painful torture. Playing their own whiney sh*t to them Gitmo style.

Degsy

kevmy wrote: »

Don't understand the big deal.

They done it a couple of years ago.

They can do what they want with their own tax affairs.

Bono gives plenty of money to charities himself so I don't see how U2 not paying tax here affects things in that regard

The dwarfish littel hypocrite should give ALL of his money away if he believes in it so much..but does he?
not a bit.
Driven by pure greed,they should take thier money-grabbing arses and go and live in africa.

CreepingDeath

Where's Bob Geldof, maybe he can organise an "Ireland AID" concert for us.

Mr. Incognito

Point and throw sticks but you'd do the exact same thing in their shoes so save me the holier than thou speech.

If it's a choice between my pocket and the taxman- pass me the blunt and the wooden shoes.

And yes their music is **** but who cares.

chin_grin

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Where's Bob Geldof, maybe he can organise an "Ireland AID" concert for us.

Didn't you hear? AIDS. It's finally funny!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Degsy wrote: »

The dwarfish littel hypocrite should give ALL of his money away if he believes in it so much..but does he?
not a bit.
Driven by pure greed,they should take thier money-grabbing arses and go and live in africa.

FFS, do you troll about everything?

You think that people donating to charity should give all their money or nothing at all? Why should he give all his money away?

Good band, always have been. The begrudgers of Ireland will always hate them though...

gerry28

If U2 live here they should pay tax here. If all the rich people like bono paid their tax it would go a long way to helping this country. He helps Africa for the glory and should consider helping his own country too.

AngryBadger

Paul O' Toole wrote:

Bono talks about dead kids, but he won’t pay a penny towards it.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Seriously though, moving their affairs to The Netherlands does make Bono's constant wnaking himself off about "the poor" seem like total hypocrisy.

T-K-O

Again this is the Governments fault not Bono or U2... IMO this is the same as all those stupid perks that are available to the private sector..

It's human nature to take advantage of these loop holes its up those stupid dead brain idiots in the Dail to sort it out.

Fanny Cradock

gerry28 wrote: »

If U2 live here they should pay tax here. If all the rich people like bono paid their tax it would go a long way to helping this country. He helps Africa for the glory and should consider helping his own country too.

They do pay tax.

Dub13

Presley Damaged Scout wrote: »

Good band, always have been. The begrudgers of Ireland will always hate them though...

Do you not think its hypocritical to be asking the Government to increase aid and on the other hand avoiding paying tax here..?

Degsy

Presley Damaged Scout wrote: »

Good band, always have been. The begrudgers of Ireland will always hate them though...

the "begrudhgers" of ireland were the ones who put them where they are now..it was the "begrudgers" who bought thier records and wentto their gigs.
How did U2 repay the people who made thier career?
Charge them massive prices for concerts,harangue them into giving away thier money to charities and piss off abroad to avoid paying tax.
Utter,utter scumbags.

Tech3

AngryBadger wrote: »

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Seriously though, moving their affairs to The Netherlands does make Bono's constant wnaking himself off about "the poor" seem like total hypocrisy.

Its taxes their paying. It will go straight to our lovely corrupt government. What has that got to do with the poor. Many people would do the same if they were in that sort of position. It makes perfect economical sense. Their music sucks btw.

gerry28

They do pay tax.

Not in the same why your average PAYE worker has to.

T-K-O

tech2 wrote: »

Its taxes their paying. It will go straight to our lovely corrupt government. What has that got to do with the poor. Many people would do the same if they were in that sort of position. It makes perfect economical sense. Their music sucks btw.

Exactly or some twat sitting in a government build scratching his...

Now everyone should pay the taxes but this country makes it really difficult when we have to listen to the likes of Lenihan and Biffo :rolleyes:

AngryBadger

tech2 wrote: »

Its taxes their paying. It will go straight to our lovely corrupt government. What has that got to do with the poor. Many people would do the same if they were in that sort of position. It makes perfect economical sense. Their music sucks btw.

The lovely, corrupt government is the only government around right now, and the ****ty state of affairs is the ONLY state of affairs right now. So who're you suggesting people pay taxes too instead?

What it's got to do with the poor is that in theory taxation is supposed to pay for everyone to have a certain basic standard of living including education and medical treatment. Without basic levels a lot more people would wind up on the breadlines.

Effectively Bono is advocating helping people in other countries while happily refusing to pay his share of the costs of helping people in his own country.

End of.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Dub13 wrote: »

Do you not think its hypocritical to be asking the Government to increase aid and on the other hand avoiding paying tax here..?

They pay taxes. Why should they keep their company here? It makes perfect business sence to relocate.

Degsy wrote: »

the "begrudhgers" of ireland were the ones who put them where they are now..it was the "begrudgers" who bought thier records and wentto their gigs.
How did U2 repay the people who made thier career?
Charge them massive prices for concerts,harangue them into giving away thier money to charities and piss off abroad to avoid paying tax.
Utter,utter scumbags.

They pay tax. They do not charge a lot of their tickets, blame ticketmaster for that.

tech2 wrote: »

Its taxes their paying. It will go straight to our lovely corrupt government. What has that got to do with the poor. Many people would do the same if they were in that sort of position. It makes perfect economical sense. Their music sucks btw.

Exactly...

Degsy

gerry28 wrote: »

Not in the same why your average PAYE worker has to.

Not only that,they're jumping through hoops to minimise any contribution to the exchequer at all.
And this from the man who wants world debt written off.
The same man who took somebody to court over a hat.
A louse,that Bono.

T-K-O

Well if U2 move their company that's fine but they can feck right of when they start banging on about us meeting that gdp target.

I heard some bloke on the radio giving out because we are not going to meet what ever percentage we agreed to, I just thought WTF, we are broke as a joke and you want us to give more away.

Dub13

Presley Damaged Scout wrote: »

They pay taxes. Why should they keep their company here? It makes perfect business sence to relocate.

In a normal business I would agree,but this is a business fronted by a lobbying to in crease aid by the very same Government is is avoiding.

I wounder if the 'fly man' has been lobbying The Netherlands Government to increase aid.Probably not as it would not make the media here or in the US/UK.

Wagon

Presley Damaged Scout wrote: »

They pay tax. They do not charge a lot of their tickets, blame ticketmaster for that.

Not completely true.

Well ticketmaster had a bit of a kick up the hole a few years ago over their really overpriced tickets and rightfully so. Dunno where to find any information on it though (it's been a while since i heard it). The artist and label decide how much to charge for their gigs.

I saw <snip> a few weeks ago. And it only cost 15 euro to see them.

<snip> have been going for years and are populular worldwide. Great band, 25 - 30 euro a ticket.

<snip>: 25 euro a ticket.

The Undertones: 20 euro a ticket and they've been going nearly 30 years.

So it's not all ticketmaster's fault. I tend to agree with Degsy on this one. U2 were popular when the internet wasn't around and people had to buy albums in shops. Not to mention all the gigs they did over the years and the sheer amount of stuff they recorded and the royalties they probaby get and the numerous awards they somehow managed to win. and yet they still charge 90 euro a ticket? Bollocks. Pure greed.

twinytwo

Degsy wrote: »

The dwarfish littel hypocrite should give ALL of his money away if he believes in it so much..but does he?
not a bit.
Driven by pure greed,they should take thier money-grabbing arses and go and live in africa.

As if u wouldnt do the exact same thing in his shoes... once again get over yourself

Degsy

Wagon wrote: »

So it's not all ticketmaster's fault. I tend to agree with Degsy on this one. U2 were popular when the internet wasn't around and people had to buy albums in shops. Not to mention all the gigs they did over the years and the sheer amount of stuff they recorded and the royalties they probaby get and the numerous awards they somehow managed to win. and yet they still charge 90 euro a ticket? Bollocks. Pure greed.

90 quid?
I wonder what they'll be charging for their next gig so people can listen to McMidget prating on a bout the third world.
They've always been greedy,the idea of doing a cut-price or maybe free gig in Ireland never occured to them and now they live abroad,knowing the irish dopes will probably pay whatever they ask for thier latest crappy album.

Degsy

twinytwo wrote: »

As if u wouldnt do the exact same thing in his shoes... once again get over yourself

No i wouldnt.
I might be quiet happy to trouser the cash but i wouldnt stoop to lecturing people about how they should donate thiers.
If he's a musician he should make music and shut up about everything else.
If he believes in what he's spouting he should renounce his worldy wealth and go and live in africa,helping people like that leper priest.

Degag

Meh, if any of ye were bono, ye'd do the exact same thing... You'd all probably be happy with not paying tax though and not start campaigning for human rights.