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Bono urges crowd to dig deep for homeless

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https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bono-urges-crowd-to-dig-deep-for-the-homeless-as-he-leads-christmas-eve-busk-in-dublin-37656371.html

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/is-it-fair-to-label-bono-a-hypocrite-over-his-tax-affairs-or-is-hypocrisy-just-a-part-of-life-36305907.html

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aido79

I am not a Bono fan by a long stretch and facts are usually not popular in things like this but I'm going to say it anyway.
U2 as a band and the members of U2 are two separate things for tax purposes.
U2 as a band are registered in the Netherlands to avoid paying 25% on their global earnings. This means they only pay 1.5%.
The members of U2 are all tax resident in Ireland so they are taxed at the highest rate of 47% plus all the usual taxes such as motor tax, vat property tax etc.
In essence they are paying a hell of a lot of tax but avoiding paying over 60% of their earnings.
I don't think there are many people who would avoid paying tax legally if they could but good old Irish begrudgery coupled with Bono being an asshole makes people believe that he pays little or no tax and is all mouth.

Emme

aido79 wrote: »

The members of U2 are all tax resident in Ireland so they are taxed at the highest rate of 47% plus all the usual taxes such as motor tax, vat property tax etc.

So is anyone else in Ireland who qualifies for the higher rate of tax and has a house and a car.

aido79 wrote: »

In essence they are paying a hell of a lot of tax but avoiding paying over 60% of their earnings.

Unlike the average Joe Soap who qualifies for the higher rate of tax but doesn't have the means to pay for a top tax advisor.

aido79 wrote: »

I don't think there are many people who would avoid paying tax legally if they could but good old Irish begrudgery coupled with Bono being an asshole makes people believe that he pays little or no tax and is all mouth.

If Bono kept his mouth shut, made a quiet but significant donation to a homeless charity (OK, maybe he has) but if didn't go around telling people what to do there would be less begrudgery. It's a real case of do what I say, not do what I do. People in Ireland have had a rough time since the crash (and some before it) and most of us have to account for every cent.

I'm not an accountant so I don't know how much more the Irish exchequer would benefit if U2 paid all their tax in Ireland along with other high-value Irish businesses (U2 is first and foremost a business) who are registered overseas to avoid tax. The average Irish worker cannot do this and is screwed for every cent and left with just enough to survive in many cases. Ironically many are not in a position to donate anything to charity because they need all they can get to keep themselves from becoming homeless. Some donate their time instead.

I agree with helping the homeless as long as the homeless get helped and not those who profess to help them while feathering their own nests with the donations of well-meaning people.

aido79

Emme wrote: »

So is anyone else in Ireland who qualifies for the higher rate of tax and has a house and a car.

Unlike the average Joe Soap who qualifies for the higher rate of tax but doesn't have the means to pay for a top tax advisor.

If Bono kept his mouth shut, made a quiet but significant donation to a homeless charity (OK, maybe he has) but if didn't go around telling people what to do there would be less begrudgery. It's a real case of do what I say, not do what I do. People in Ireland have had a rough time since the crash (and some before it) and most of us have to account for every cent.

I'm not an accountant so I don't know how much more the Irish exchequer would benefit if U2 paid all their tax in Ireland along with other high-value Irish businesses (U2 is first and foremost a business) who are registered overseas to avoid tax. The average Irish worker cannot do this and is screwed for every cent and left with just enough to survive in many cases. Ironically many are not in a position to donate anything to charity because they need all they can get to keep themselves from becoming homeless. Some donate their time instead.

I agree with helping the homeless as long as the homeless get helped and not those who profess to help them while feathering their own nests with the donations of well-meaning people.

Bono can't win with people like yourself. You admit you don't know anything about his charity donations. I would imagine you would see it as a publicity stunt if he did release details of his donations.
I don't like the guy in any way but he does more for homelessness and other charities than most people give him credit for.

worded

It’s highly probable that Bono and the lads feel a bit guilty about their tax avoidance and as a direct result they don’t help the homeless as much as they should.

I’d say they do help the homeless via charity donations quietly without “broadcasting” it. They are phomonomeally wealthy and can easily afford to.

Here’s to the homeless and everyone who needs help ....

https://www.simon.ie

[Deleted User]

aido79 wrote: »

Bono can't win with people like yourself. You admit you don't know anything about his charity donations. I would imagine you would see it as a publicity stunt if he did release details of his donations.
I don't like the guy in any way but he does more for homelessness and other charities than most people give him credit for.

he could win by shutting the fcuk up about what ppl who aren't tax-avoiding multimillionaires 'should' do

aido79

[Deleted User] wrote: »

he could win by shutting the fcuk up about what ppl who aren't tax-avoiding multimillionaires 'should' do

I agree with that. I just don't see why his tax affairs get dragged into it. Every millionaire in the country avoids paying tax because they can afford better accountants yet they don't all get the same attention as Bono.

[Deleted User]

aido79 wrote: »

I agree with that. I just don't see why his tax affairs get dragged into it. Every millionaire in the country avoids paying tax because they can afford better accountants yet they don't all get the same attention as Bono.

they don't all seek it!

there are a lot worse ppl in the world, but sanctimony is hard to take from someone in his position.

aido79

[Deleted User] wrote: »

they don't all seek it!

there are a lot worse ppl in the world, but sanctimony is hard to take from someone in his position.

Do you really think they don't? That would be very naive.

He'd probably think the same about begrudgery if he wasn't long past the point of caring what people think of him.

andekwarhola

What's the actual situ with the tax thing? I was under the impression that their publishing company was moved offshore but the members of the band pay personal income tax here which presumably is pretty sizeable given their earnings.

Not cheerleading here, just wondering what the craic is.

I'm a bit conflicted here as I personally think Bono is a bit of a tit and I can see that it's a contradictory to have that personal fortune and camapaign but maybe with a public figurehead urging people to donate, you'll still get far more people chipping in than would have otherwise.

[Deleted User]

Bono is one lad you'd look at and go "I'd imagine he could afford to build a homeless shelter handy enough"..

aido79

andekwarhola wrote: »

What's the actual situ with the tax thing? I was under the impression that their publishing company was moved offshore but the members of the band pay personal income tax here which presumably is pretty sizeable given their earnings.

Not cheerleading here, just wondering what the craic is.

I'm a bit conflicted here as I personally think Bono is a bit of a tit and I can see that it's a contradictory to have that personal fortune and camapaign but maybe with a public figurehead urging people to donate, you'll still get far more people chipping in than would have otherwise.

It's easier to believe he doesn't pay any tax.

Amirani

andekwarhola wrote: »

What's the actual situ with the tax thing? I was under the impression that their publishing company was moved offshore but the members of the band pay personal income tax here which presumably is pretty sizeable given their earnings.

Not cheerleading here, just wondering what the craic is.

Yep, you're completely correct. The members of U2 are tax resident here and pay normal higher rate taxes on their income like anyone else above thresholds. Anyone who says "they don't pay tax in Ireland" is a gormless idiot who listens to soundbytes and repeats them without actually using their brain in between.

U2 as a company are tax resident in the Netherlands. If people wanted to insist that corporations only pay tax in the countries that their main shareholders are resident in, then Ireland would have a far bigger homeless problem than it does. Ireland's whole growth model in recent years is to allow large multinationals pay their corporation tax there more cheaply than in the countries they're actually from. Hypocrisy.

King of Kings

aido79 wrote: »

I agree with that. I just don't see why his tax affairs get dragged into it. Every millionaire in the country avoids paying tax because they can afford better accountants yet they don't all get the same attention as Bono.

This isnt true . Michael o leary pays all his tax in ireland afaik.
Could weasel out of it with tax advisors but doesnt. He has a gob on him but thats a hugely redeeming feature.

Bono and his crew were happy to take the artists grant for years off the state but happy then move their business abroad when they got rich.
Disgusting.

King of Kings

aido79 wrote: »

It's easier to believe he doesn't pay any tax.

its easier for some people to claim his critics say that...but nobody says it

D9Male

Defaulter1831 wrote: »

Nobby tells the proletariat what to do whilst not paying tax in his country of birth where said problem is.

Just fcuk off Nobby, you're just a mouthpiece.

This fella says it.

aido79

King of Kings wrote: »

This isnt true . Michael o leary pays all his tax in ireland afaik.
Could weasel out of it with tax advisors but doesnt. He has a gob on him but thats a hugely redeeming feature.

Bono and his crew were happy to take the artists grant for years off the state but happy then move their business abroad when they got rich.
Disgusting.

Do you really think Michael O'Leary's accountant does not try to reduce his tax bill?

I still stand by my point that Bono pays a hell of a lot more tax than people seem to think he does.

aido79

King of Kings wrote: »

its easier for some people to claim his critics say that...but nobody says it

A lot of people are under the impression that he pays almost no tax.

suicide_circus

if it weren't for Bono and Hansard I wouldn't even know homelessness exists

King of Kings

aido79 wrote: »

Do you really think Michael O'Leary's accountant does not try to reduce his tax bill?

I still stand by my point that Bono pays a hell of a lot more tax than people seem to think he does.

Perhaps but he pays it in ireland under our codes and his cash is wasted by the state like the rest of ours. I dont think your point is relevant to this point.

He does but he choose to pay some tax elsewhere too at the expense of ireland.
Then he chooses to lecture us about whatever nonsense comes into his head to rub salt in the wound. And you wonder why people bite back?

The other 3 lads as a guilty but as least keep their mouths shut and thus attract less vitriol.

Bono is a pox.

lawred2

colm_mcm wrote: »

He allegedly has personal wealth of €600 million.

He could dig deep, give away half his wealth and buy 100 houses.

He doesn’t have to of course, it’s easier to do this ****e.

Why should he do that?

lawred2

Geuze wrote: »

The State spends close to 150m pa on the Dublin Region Homelessness.

There's a big industry between the government and the recipient..

the kelt

Has there ever been any proof that Bono pays no or very little tax in this country other than the usual rag top, click bait Facebook fed stories that seem to go as proof these days?

Just wondering?

Let’s be honest the vast majority of people will pay as little tax as possible of given the opportunity and overall bono seems like a harmless sort of fella.

From what I read he simply wants as many people as possible to help those less fortunate!!

What’s the problem with that?

Is it an Irish thing to be wary of those with money and success?

aido79

King of Kings wrote: »

Perhaps but he pays it in ireland under our codes and his cash is wasted by the state like the rest of ours. I dont think your point is relevant to this point.

He does but he choose to pay some tax elsewhere too at the expense of ireland.
Then he chooses to lecture us about whatever nonsense comes into his head to rub salt in the wound. And you wonder why people bite back?

The other 3 lads as a guilty but as least keep their mouths shut and thus attract less vitriol.

Bono is a pox.

Bono is a taxpaying poxðŸ˜€. I have no interest in debating how much tax he pays but one thing I will say is that it's a hell of a lot more than his critics.

Chinasea

The only disappointing thing I see is that he has just jumped on the populist bogus violin playing bandwagen.

The whole Homeless issue is relentless. Yes, there are genuine cases, but this 'a house is a right business' epitomizes irresponsibility.

Every choir that sang over Christmas, every Movember beard, every blue Tesco charity token, every charity walker, singer, streaker was for De Homeless. Every add on the radio, TV, DART. (Huge money spent on advertising). Every second article in the leftie journal.ie is about de Homeless.

There are other charities. Most have been totally overlooked and are reporting a significant slump in donations.

colm_mcm

colm_mcm wrote: »

He allegedly has personal wealth of €600 million.

He could dig deep, give away half his wealth and buy 100 houses.

He doesn’t have to of course, it’s easier to do this ****e.

lawred2 wrote: »

Why should he do that?

I’m not saying he should, I’m saying he could. Same way the audience shouldn’t (and don’t) have to dig deep and make a big donation if they don’t want to.

My point is that with his immense wealth - he is in a position to rapidly make a tangible difference to homelessness in Dublin. He chooses not to in favour of asking the ordinary Joe for spare change in what is little more than an annual publicity stunt.

FixdePitchmark

This thread is crazy and brings out the worst of the Irish.

Bono has done incredible stuff for charity locally and on a global scale. He has done more than anyone could dream of here .
He realized you need to change the root cause and not dish money out.

He is a complex character with multiple dimensions, he has at this stage made more money away from music than in it.
His companies have global dimensions to them. He and his advice is doing what all major organisations would do.

The truth is Bono is genuinely a good bloke with a kind soul.

Delighted to see artists at that level playing good music on the street. It reaffirms that Dublin is a fairly cool city with strong connection to the arts and street music.

Bono said that in passing, a gesture , but he knows from his experience , you need to change things at a higher level and structurally.

By the way , fairly good performance for a guy who has had a rough few years .

As for people saying all their music is ****e , they just don't like music and are miserable ****ers .

ted1

Emme wrote: »

So is anyone else in Ireland who qualifies for the higher rate of tax and has a house and a car.

Unlike the average Joe Soap who qualifies for the higher rate of tax but doesn't have the means to pay for a top tax advisor.

If Bono kept his mouth shut, made a quiet but significant donation to a homeless charity (OK, maybe he has) but if didn't go around telling people what to do there would be less begrudgery. It's a real case of do what I say, not do what I do. People in Ireland have had a rough time since the crash (and some before it) and most of us have to account for every cent.

I'm not an accountant so I don't know how much more the Irish exchequer would benefit if U2 paid all their tax in Ireland along with other high-value Irish businesses (U2 is first and foremost a business) who are registered overseas to avoid tax. The average Irish worker cannot do this and is screwed for every cent and left with just enough to survive in many cases. Ironically many are not in a position to donate anything to charity because they need all they can get to keep themselves from becoming homeless. Some donate their time instead.

I agree with helping the homeless as long as the homeless get helped and not those who profess to help them while feathering their own nests with the donations of well-meaning people.

You keep comparing them to the average tax payer. You are right you are not an accountant, you do not realise that company’s are people are different. You can’t compare a company’s tax structure to a persons.
Very little of the companies income is actually generated in Ireland so it’s not ours to begin with. If all things were equal tax should be paid in the country it’s earned.

NIMAN

ted1 wrote: »

Very little of the companies income is actually generated in Ireland so it’s not ours to begin with.

Is most of it generated in Holland so?

lawred2

colm_mcm wrote: »

I’m not saying he should, I’m saying he could. Same way the audience shouldn’t (and don’t) have to dig deep and make a big donation if they don’t want to.

My point is that with his immense wealth - he is in a position to rapidly make a tangible difference to homelessness in Dublin. He chooses not to in favour of asking the ordinary Joe for spare change in what is little more than an annual publicity stunt.

You know nothing in reality about what he does with his wealth

The Talking Bread

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Paid taxes.

In fairness our taxes do f*ck all really to helping homeless people.