Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

Bono's arrogance reaches new levels

category national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis author Wednesday June 26, 2013 19:45author by ordinary citizen

U2 pay your tax fb page

Bonos arrogance has touched a nerve with ordinary people struggling to get by

Bonos complete removal from the lives of ordinary citizens came across in his interview with Gay Byrne. Its the trillions being held in offshore tax havens that have created much unnecessary poverty, especially in First World countries, which should all be living the Scandinavian dream of equality, a massive middle class and v high standards in all state bodies. Instead we have the super rich getting to a level of wealth and then reaching a point where they can claim to be based abroad for tax reason and pay even less than the average person when they should be paying twice what a person who can barely feed their family is. His arrogance is infuriating and i would love to have a protest outside his house in Dalkey sometime, to bring the anger of so many people, who are feeling unnecessary pain, to his doorstep.

I have set up a "U2 pay your tax" fb page there are only 59 likes so far but if i got enough i would look into having a protest outside his home. I don't know if the cops would allow it but would have it anyway.

I feel that the public are angry enough to get involved and this could open the debate on all tax avoidance.
I would imagine that the taxes we make from foreign companies could be equaled or surpassed if our wealthy were made pay their fair share, especially if we created a backdated tax law that could claim back taxes like the 50 million we lost when Dennis O Brien moved his residency to Portugal when he sold his Esat

I have set up a petition please sign and share

http://www.change.org/petitions/u2-pay-your-taxes-to-th...state

Comments (22 of 22)

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author by davepublication date Wed Jun 26, 2013 20:13author address author phone

Good article,im glad someone is looking at these celebrity musicians with a critical eye.

Bono is a hypocrite,he pontificates about the poor,and those in africa,but deprives the irish public of revneue by way of paying tax.

Bono like most musicians is evading tax,putting it in an offshore account somewhere in holland,he puts his tax in holland while he still enjoys all the trappings of living in ireland.

He cant have it both ways or can he? You know in the light of all this anglo scandal it makes me really sick to my teeth to see all this tax evasion going on..

Were working off old 18th century laws when it comes to taxes,an economist said if the laws were updated what bono is doing would be a criminal offence..

Time to update the law,and bring those avoiding tax to justice,or at least strip them of their irish citizenship..

author by ciarapublication date Wed Jun 26, 2013 20:20author address author phone

He knows by not paying tax in this recession he is hurting irish people.

I am in no doubt he is aware of this.

Bono- its the irish people that put you on that pedastil you enjoy so much today. You wouldnt be on the map if it wasn't for your initial irish fan base.

author by James Corcoranpublication date Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:17author address author phone

While i commend the authors' stance on what she/he seems to believe in I do have a problem with this piece , Why should I sign your petition giving my full name etc, when you the author, I know nothing about , ie your full name ...

author by ordinary citizenpublication date Thu Jun 27, 2013 17:17author address author phone

I am not happy with the petitions name
U2 pay your taxes to the Irish State

I wonder should i have kept the U2 pay your tax name of the fb page

i also have been thinking that rather than the money just going straight back into the public coffers and possibly being eaten up by bondholders. Could we work it that, if we are successful in shaming U2 into paying their taxes here, we get the government to agree to using the money towards Carers and people with Special Needs.
If this was the case then the petition should read something like
U2 pay your taxes for Carers

As there are only 3 signatures at present there is time to change it to something better

I am open to any suggestions

author by Tpublication date Thu Jun 27, 2013 21:18author address author phone

Your comment actually raises the bigger question which is why we should bother leave it to the government to decide how our taxes are spent, because regardless of the party in power they are all hell bent on handing it over the bankers, bondholders, speculators and other assorted crooks and at the same time they decide to withdraw expenditure on all the things in our society which benefit the great mass of the population. It certainly seems crazy.

It should be the people to decide how the tax revenue is reallocated each year. At the very least there should be a breakdown of all current expenditure perhaps published in the form of a set of Wiki webpages so that we can drill down through the figures.

And in a similar way, there should be proposals made by people and communities who could decide to at the minimum ringfence expenditure in some areas, propose it in others and oppose it in yet other areas. If all this data was compiled we could have it visualized and then parts of it could be voted on or some form of consensus reached.

But the current system of allowing a bunch of crooks to allocate it to another bunch of crooks is definitely wrong.

author by James Corcoranpublication date Thu Jun 27, 2013 22:20author address author phone

I am still not happy signing any petition , by doing so it may give you the author 'carte blanche' to use any information received should personal data fall into the hands of a stranger , To the author , would you be happy signing such a petition , Akin to allowing personal data, such as credit card details, to fall into the wrong hands, etc . So you still haven't found what you're looking for .

author by Billy McGrathpublication date Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:47author email author address author phone

In fairness to U2, they do pay huge taxes in Ireland. People forget that they earn the majority of their money overseas, so haveing their company based overseasmakes sense..

author by ciarapublication date Sat Jun 29, 2013 13:43author address author phone

They dont pay tax in ireland,if youre talking about the property tax well he unfortunatley cannot weasel his way out of that one,but im sure he checked with his accoutant first to make sure..

He doesnt pay tax in ireland - as he has moved all his earnings to a dutch bank account.

He works here,he plays here but he doenst pay his tax here - anybody else see whats wrong with this picture?

author by ordinary citizenpublication date Sun Jun 30, 2013 18:54author address author phone

If you follow the argument that U2 pay most of their taxes abroad and most of their income comes from the US then they should pay their taxes their. Oh wait they would actually pay more taxes their than they would here.
Anyone who justifies their tax affairs sickens me.
They are super rich and could afford to pay many multiples of what they would be asked, especially considering that they paid no taxes up to the introduction of the quarter of a million limit on earnings.
Money is a limited resource and when their is an imbalance in one area, namely the top, somewhere else has to balance that out and in the present system of limited government intervention promoted by neo liberal economists and politicians (many of whom Bono is often seen pictured with) its the poor who suffer as they require state intervention most.

U2 were educated using Irish taxes, Bonos children don't go to fee paying schools so its our taxes that pay for their teachers. Ordinary people dont have the luxury of being able to claim citizenship in another country many dont have any luxuries at all but people like Bono can fly a hat that he left behind first class across the globe and driven to a concert.

They are well paid artists and people adore them, people also adored Bertie so popularity means nothing to me. They and all those who claim foreign residency should be made pay what they have avoided over the years when we finally get a truly Left wing government in this country. In many ways its all working out perfectly as the system has squeezed as much as they can out of the poor in our society while leaving the rich away with paying less than their fair share never mind what they can afford. This is creating an undercurrent of anger amongst an ever increasing amount of people, especially young people that will gradually lead to the next generation voting in our first gov without either FF/FG and thus truly freeing our nation from Conservatism. As our budget balances this new income that will flow in from making our elite finally pay can be used to create jobs and invest in our country and all those sitting on the fence will be converted to. If such actions had been imposed over the last few years the taxes raised would have been lost in our bank debt repayments.

@ T Transparency is the key in Sweden and Norway they have a transparent tax system that means that all citizens can see what their bosses and elite are paying in taxes every year. This will never be introduced as long as either FF/FG are in power but when it is it should be backdated and when ordinary citizens see how little our elite have been paying they will be more open to concepts like a wealth tax. i think we could take transparency a little further and make all assets transparent as income tax does often does not affect land owners who sold at the height of the boom and who are waiting for things to bottom out before reinvesting. These and not the developers were the top of the pyramid scheme that was the Celtic Tiger.

The majority of those who defend U2 are middle to upper class, just as they are the ones who most often defend austerity and are the ones most likely to have private health insurance and thus not feel the full effects all these cuts have on people. All those who claim tax residency abroad and all those who defend them should not be allowed have private health insurance and them adn their families should be forced to have to endure the pain that ordinary people have to in our public hospitals. If they were forced to see what the cuts that had to be imposed because they are not paying their fare share they would quickly pay up. The anger is growing and Bono's hypocrisies are becoming more blatant, ordinary citizens are very angry with his responses in the interview but RTE and the mainstream media will not show this, often because they are far removed from ordinary people but believe me his arrogance will come back to bite him and i for one will be happy when it does.
This is bot begrudgery i would not give Bono one second of my time if i thought he was paying his fare share, he would still have hundreds of millions and live like a king but when i see the pain people are going through and that places like Malahide and Dalkey don't seem to have been affected by the Recession, their streets are full of brand new Mercs and luxury cars, it gets me very angry so don't even try and defend him and his kind because anyone who does in my mind has the same characteristics of those who spat on the rebels of 1916, who defended the church even after all the revelations, who defended Haughey, you are all brown nosers and brown nosers went and continue to go far in modern Ireland but will one day be over taken by independent thinkers who care about the good of all over the rights of the ruling elite.

author by ciarapublication date Sun Jun 30, 2013 19:39author address author phone

Most of the people defending U2 and bonos tax affairs are mealy mouthed f*cks, silver spooned brats,that never had to worry about where the next paycheck/meal was coming from..

Shame on them!

author by ordinary citizenpublication date Mon Jul 01, 2013 16:23author address author phone

Hi i decided to shorten the petition title to U2 pay your tax as i think its better than the longer U2 pay your taxes to the Irish state and is the same as the fb page
Sorry to the 6 other people who had signed it
I am thinking i might get a few t-shirts printed up, feel free to promote this however you please

Thanks Ciara for your support the nest medicine for these silver spooned fools would be an annual house swap with people in deprived areas for 2 weeks something similar to wife swap. It has been my experience and that of many people i know who work in customer services that its the rich who complain the most about the smallest things, a little taste of what its like for a huge amount of working class people in this country would give them perspective.
To frank i am surprised you did not take me up on my using "their" instead of "there" at the beginning of my last comment

I don't know your affiliations frank but it appears to me that the RIght can become very childish when they are losing an argument and attack the person or little holes in their argument rather than take on the real issue because they know that if they stick to the main points they will lose. This has meant that people who mean well often have to fight a lot harder to get their point across because those on the Right are just waiting for a small slip up so that they can pounce while people who represent the elite of this country are given handy ministries like Agriculture or Transport and swan around cutting ribbons at new railway stations, getting their picture in the papers and hiding the ugly side of their agenda behind a nice suit and clean teeth.

http://www.change.org/petitions/u2-pay-your-tax

author by Luke Eastwoodpublication date Mon Jul 15, 2013 22:50author address author phone

Well done for being proactive, I'm gonna check out the FB page now and tell all of my friends. U2 are so far up the corporate back passage they don't even realise they are out of touch. It's not just Bono, David 'The Edge' Evans and his wife were wanting to chop down a massive area of Californian wilderness to make a fast buck. The authorities there wisely told him to get lost in no uncertain terms, I wish they'd get similar treatment here instead of the sycophantic drivel!

author by ordinary citizenpublication date Thu Aug 15, 2013 14:09author address author phone

Shame and Fame these are the ways we should fight this cause. Other billionaire tax avoiders like Denis O Brien and Tony O Reilly don't really care about public opinion but Bono and the boys do. If we get enough support we will start to have regular protests outside their homes with placards saying things like "Shame on you, the working poor pay their taxes yet the rich elite avoid paying their fair share" or whatever you feel sums up the issue. These guys love being adored and everywhere they go people treat them like royalty, it is up to us as individuals to make them aware that ordinary Irish people, especially those most in need like Carers, are disgusted by their blatant greed, that they are no better than bankers in our eyes. I saw Larry Mullin coming out of a restaurant in Howth a while back and was going to confront him about this but a woman and two children came out after him so i let him go but if i ever see any of these men i will tell them what i think of their actions. I am calling on all of you to do the same. Its time to shame them into paying and it looks like this is our only tactic as our government is too afraid to take on our rich elite, while all too willing to cut services to those most in need in society. For a band like U2, who claim to be Christians, the fact that the money that the state is not getting, due to them moving their tax residency abroad, is affecting people who have it hardest in our society is highly hypocritical of them. This should be spelled out by every citizen of this state, who cares about how the safety net for the poor and the weak, that generations of Irish people worked to create, is being destroyed because of the rich not paying their fair share. If we made them pay ten times what they should be paying in taxes they would still be in the top 1% but our society would be a better place to live in and there would be a lot less misery for Carers and decent people who have found themselves in tough situations.

author by Crazy Catpublication date Thu Aug 15, 2013 15:02author address author phone

This is an article written by George Monbiot a few months ago about Bono and the ONE campaign :

http://www.monbiot.com/2013/06/17/elevation/

author by Comyn - Justicepublication date Thu Aug 15, 2013 15:47author address author phone

Ireland's infrastructure, the education of our people, the youth who buy their 'products'; the tax haven that gave writers tax incentives, we are numbed and on our knees to debt and we really need you to return to Ireland, to pay your taxes and contribute to our economy.

500 million euros, reported by the OECD, is the amount of money that Nigerians remitted to Nigeria in 2012. To anyone who has lived in Africa, it will be all too clear that poverty exists but what one also knows is that despotism, nepotism, totalitarianism prevail and cause the social inequalities. Bono, Bob Geldof, Denis O'Brien are the heros of 'let's feed the poor' but now its the time to stand down blatant corruption through exemplary behaviour and that mean's come home, pay your taxes in Ireland and be messengers that state Inequality is the source of poverty which ultimately creates tribal civil wars. Transparency International, the United Nations, Unesco these are the vehicles who aim to make changes but certain demi-Gods now have their faces intrinsically linked to the word savior and giver but the truth is they are tax cute manipultors of tax havens with an air of supremacy that isn't underwritten by their own donations and lifestyle choices. These are the elites who pop in and out to Ireland to meet other political elites like Mrs President Obama and her daughters in quaint Dalkey.

Well done to the poster of this article. These Mr Bilderbergers who nuzzle in when the gong rings in Wall Street on St. Patrick's day need to be asked to re-think their positions. If their criteria are purely monetary, we need to say to them to read about Mr Warren Buffet and his honour and principles about drawing down a reduced salary and being prepared to pay more taxes on his wealth sourced income. Honour is the old fashioned word but now is the time to put it to our Mr Tax Exiles to display same.

There are people who could but have not abused our tax laws. Today, it is humbling to read that Mr Gay Byrne who is now in his 80's and who worked in RTE broadcasting for most of his working life and how this loyal individual addressed the harsh realities that the CelticTiger financial markets collapse dictated for him and many more who lost their entire pensions in the crisis of 2007. Too many people with private pension funds were advised to invest in the Banks including Anglo Irish and they lost all. Well done to Mr Byrne. He wallowed not in the misery of the financial losses he had to face, he 'took up his shovel and he went to work' and well done to him and the £444,000 gain he made over the last number of years. We need people like him who not alone create work and financial gain for themselves but for others too at ever level of the value chain.

Next time I see someone who is a Mr Tax Exile in Dublin 4 or Dalkey I am going to address them as Hello Mr Tax Exile; would you ever consider being a Robin Hood? Shame is the only way to get people to think and act with honour.

Comyn

author by Damien M - PWpublication date Fri Aug 16, 2013 14:58author address author phone

Because he's a role model and inspiration for us all, right !

author by Comyn - Justicepublication date Fri Aug 16, 2013 16:00author address author phone

Why not! Because we need people who are inspirational, who represent integrity, resilience, perseverence when the hand of faith wipes out most of their savings, and they start again, and return to work. The truth is that the pension scandal has already carved out the hardship for many who reached their 60/'s70's since 2007. We need to take the inspiration - they are not the politicians who mainly still in their fifties retired with their fat public sector pensions in excess of £150,000; those who more often than not are receiving double and treble dip pensions. The people who really got burnt are those who have worked in the private sector and paid handsomely (albeit they did receive favourable tax deals) into funds that were supposed to buy them annuities. It is these people met with the bankers/brokers who advised them to buy blue chip banks and lost all. Add to this the young generation who are stifled by negative equity; loss of employment; enforced emigration.

False Gods are the Bono's, the Mr Tax Exiles, the Mr Bilderbergers, the EU Gravy Train junkies, climbing up on the contributions made by the ordinary taxpayers and contributors to Ireland Inc. The musicians and writers who received favourable non payment of tax deals are the people who the citizens of Ireland can clearly state that they expect from them the honourable commitment to either live in Ireland making it their principal private residence or just move to the country of choice and pay tax there. We know their hand when we hear 'Double Dutch and sandwich'/tax havens/ansbacher. The Tribunals may not permit the data collected to be used in court but the data exists so now let us expect the change in attitude from the people named and shamed. What we are well aware of is that Ireland is Catholic and absolution and forgiveness is their language for manipulation and their means of orchestrating the power structures in our Country. The Amnesties worked before, so let us give some of these Exiled bandits a chance to make a difference again.

Ireland Inc has lost its way in the abyss. To cheat, to confabulate, to engage in fraud, to steal, have become acceptable characteristics for the new cache of actual and potential neuro criminals. What do we do to stop this spinning wheel and seek to re-engage with that Scales of Justice which looks inwards to Dublin Castle. The blindfolded woman has witnessed so much devastation of Ireland Inc's core values without providing that level of learnedness to seek redress if not through the DPP and our Courts but even to re-establish in the plain people of Ireland a moral rectitude that says we admit, we erred but now we accept that it is time for change and the change starts now.

The previous poster mentioned about certain cohorts that include tax exiles who have their fancy houses in Dalkey and Raglan Road but yet they don't regard Ireland as their principal private residence for tax purposes. We so often forget that many of these tax exiles exert their snobberies by having their children educated in our elitist private schools and universities and as the poster quite rightly says these private schools and universities are funded significantly by the taxpayers and the citizens of this country.

Restoration of Integrity must be the guiding light going forward. Farmleigh is to host a meeting again this year so let us ensure that this position of improved moral rectitude is high up the agenda and that any Mr Bilderbergers or Mr Tax Exiles who are making presentations are shamed to the degree that they decline to make a speech or they commit to returning their tax affairs to Ireland Inc. Yes, Mr Gay Byrne is an inspiration. He made lots of money, he paid lots of tax, he made bad investments and was caught out in the 1980's and again in the 2000's but he shows honour. Mr Byrne has been a mentor to many in RTE and based on a recent article about the substantial losses Pat Kenny has made through his investments and court case fees in Ireland, they are contributors and are not part of the group known as the 'Takers and the Taken'.

Cheating: If we cannot start within our system of education both in our universities and in our schools to cull the mindsets of often the privileged to cheat at their exams, in their essays, in their projects, we are only providing more of the same practices that created the Celtic Tiger. It is not hard to take the Maple 10, the developers, the bankers and then check out where their children were educated and to ask where their principles are placed. Some say the child can't be blamed for the sins of the father but if one looks at the culture their child was reared in, we can surely ask questions and look for the safeguards in our system of education.

Trinity College used to be in the top 100 leading universities of the world. Not any more. It is time they ask questions about their principles, their ethics, their integrity, their sense of justice. It is disturbing to hear that a young man is found to be cheating in his Law exams; a man whose mother is a judge, his father was a lawyer and yet the punishment for him is that he can repeat his exams in the autumn. What does this say? It is not lightly I say this. The argument rests with depression apparently. However, in Trinity College, people with depression and mental health problems have many concessions and a counselling service. Cheating, especially after the Celtic Tiger crisis and the banking dishonesty must be stopped now by those who have the authority ie the Provost. Stop Corruption Now is the mantra.

Finally, today's Independent. 'Students caught cheating have results withheld by Katherine Donnellyby the State Examinations Commission. 50 papers are involved with a query on another 25.

Stand Corruption down, start at school and bear in mind that the culture of the school must have a motto that will surpass any culture in the home that is about dishonesty. Mr Tax Exiles, Mr Tax Evaders, Mr Neuro Criminals.... you have the opportunities to make changes but don't mock the ordinary citizens of Ireland.

author by ordinary citizenpublication date Mon Aug 26, 2013 20:23author email author address author phone

Hi Crazy cat, yes i read that article and have it and other related articles up on the U2 pay your tax fab page

well said Comyn Justice

Their is blatant hypocrisy in the actions of Bono and U2 as well as our other so called business figures who on the one hand enjoy their status as Irish business elites yet refuse to contribute to the system that created then and thus restrict the possibility of others following in their footsteps. Whereas countries like Sweden and Norway that have transparent tax systems and laws which create a large middle class and a smaller gap between the rich and poor are investing in their young people and those who need help like Carers and consistently come top globall yin quality of life surveys.
Our system is focused on success in the business field - Dragons Den and other programs push the idea of successful people being all powerful but we cannot all be successful for every business person driving around in a sports car there has to be many many more workers doing ordinary mundane work to allow them those luxuries. There are people out there going hungry so that their children can have proper meals, these people are my heros, these are the people our children should be looking up to but instead we are fed a constant stream of images telling us that adoration of the self is the key to happiness. If we all followed this mantra the world would be a very nasty place to live in.

There are supposed to be four times more sociopaths running companies than in ordinary society, the system has been set up to promote those with the least amount of morals to make the most amount of money. Charity is a way for these people to feel some happy inside but does not solve the deeper issues. There is more than enough money and food to feed every citizen on this planet comfortably but the winner takes all, neo liberal economic model that is subtly being shoved down our throats only creates an ever widening gap between the rich and poor and by Bono constantly defending it he is actually far more a part of the problem than a solution.

I often hear the defense that he gives so much to charity but i too give to Concern when i have more than i need but i also pay my taxes and have had to share accommodation for many years as i try to save enough to buy my own place. If we compare the proportion of what i and many others pay to charities after they have paid their taxes to what Bono gives to charities after paying v little taxes i think that his good deeds would suddenly look ordinary. This comparison is related to people on the same income but Bono and the other Tax exiles are people who have long ago gone beyond the necessity to work, these people could easily live the rest of their lives just living off the interest of the money in their bank accounts.

We as a society have to start to ask:

How much is enough?
At what point does someone elses huge bank account start to affect the people at the bottom of society. We are living in an ever more integrated world and how a rich person spends or invests their money may not directly be hurting poor people but through many intermediaries actually does.

Greed is the virus that is killing us, selfish actions affect others, its time for ordinary people to say that they have had enough of these hypocrites, we should no longer worship but deride these people. My only solace in this is that i believe that one day we will have a government without FF/FG and that will be the day that justice will be done. Forget amnesties we the people will take what should have been ours and more and these people will just have to take it or really leave the country as they will be imprisoned if they don't pay what they owe. Would bank robbers rob if they could make as much money by allowing their accountants move their money around, would drug dealers deal if they could commit white collar crimes and only get a slap on the wrist if they do wrong. I was not one of those people who felt sorry for the man who got 6 years for trying to defraud the state of all that money when he wrongly called his garlic apples. I think that if such harsh sentences were handed down to others who are causing the state to lose millions in revenue that our tax take would rise very quickly.
At present this money would be used to shore up our budget deficit but in the future, when we get a truly Left Wing government similar to Labour government of 1945 in the UK, we can use the increase in tax revenues for creating jobs, insulating the homes of the poor and vulnerable, creating our own oil and gas exploration companies.

The sins of Bono, Denis O Brien, Tony O Reilly and all the other tax exiles will one day come back to bite them and i look forward to this day for it will be the start of a new era in Ireland based around honesty, fairness and mutual co operation until then stay strong and be patient, change like this does not happen over night, it comes from educating people one at a time, showing them that there are alternatives.
Vive l'evolution

author by ordinary citizenpublication date Mon Sep 23, 2013 20:11author address author phone

Below is another article where Bone tries to make us understand the logic behind his treasonable tax affairs

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/n....html

- "Bono has made a fresh defence of U2’s tax arrangements, claiming the Irish government would ultimately appreciate the band’s decision to offshore a share of its income through the Netherlands.

He rejected the accusation that it was hypocritical for him to criticise the government’s economic strategies in Ireland and blamed the “cranky left” for not appreciating the band’s position.

“U2 is in total harmony with our government’s philosophy,” he told The Observer. “Tax competitiveness has taken our country out of poverty. [The revenue] accept that if you engage in that policy then some people are going to go out, and some people are coming in.”

He added: “At the heart of the Irish economy has always been the philosophy of tax competitiveness. On the cranky left that is very annoying, I can see that. But [that] is why Ireland has stayed afloat.”

As it stand the fb page "U2 pay your tax" is at 89 likes, i dont know if getting over the 100 would be a great achievement but if you or anyone you know would like to join and/or leave comments that would be great.

I will leave it up to a lady who commented below this article to sum up U2s actions:

"The self-serving hypocrisy of Bono is beyond nauseating. And his claim that "U2 is in total harmony with our [Irish] Government's policy" is not only fatuous, it is, frankly, disgusting. [Does he take us for half-wits?] The government capped the tax exemption on royalties at (a very generous) €250,000 a year, in light of the dire economic situation. And it was only then that U2 shifted that particular income offshore in a move of unredeemable selfishness [the rest of their income was offshore already].

Some people are going hungry and cold in Ireland and living in fear of losing the roofs over their heads [same in the UK, I know]. Children and the elderly and the disabled are suffering and being denied the services that they need. Bono and the rest of them should pay their taxes—it's their civic duty. Their immense wealth makes their tax "avoidance" all the more reprehensible. It is recognised that the Irish people are amongst the most generous in the world when it comes to charitable giving. Well in this instance, charity begins at home Bono!!

Tax evasion by the grossly wealthy is an obscenity, it should not be facilitated here in Ireland, or the UK, or any other self-respecting democracy. Tax rules made by the rich, for the rich. But in Bono's case his hypocrisy makes it all the more sickening.

author by fredpublication date Tue Sep 24, 2013 04:06author address author phone

Bono is a total hypocrite.

His questionable "investment" in the video game "mercenaries II world in flames" is a case in point.

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/1823

""Mercenaries 2: World in Flames," created by Los Angeles based Pandemic/Bioware Studios, simulates a mercenary invasion of Venezuela in the year 2007. Pandemic is a subcontractor for the US Army and CIA funded Institute for Creative Technologies, which uses Hollywood techniques to mount war simulations in California's high desert in order to conduct military training. "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames" simulates destruction in downtown Caracas, and promises to leave no part of Venezuela untouched."

Why would a "campaigner for justice" invest in a US military backed game studio venture with a pure propaganda storyline totally ignoring the social gains in Venezuela under Chavez, and setting up the next generation of teenage boys for an invasion of that country by the US army because an evil dictator
"a power hungry tyrant" has "seized control of Venezuela and her oil supply."

The fact that Chavez "seized control" of the country's oil supplies from greedy oil companies to ensure that his people actually saw some benefit from the oil revenue instead of it all just being stolen from them seems not to be a part of this narrative. I would expect that to trouble a "human rights and justice campaigner" like bono, but evidently not much it seems.

It's clear that the US would like to get it's hands on the oil of Venezuela and they take every opportunity to spread poison like this about it's previous and now it's current leader Maduro.

Only the other day it tried to stop Venezuelan diplomats attending a UN event by refusing to issue a visa.

Is the UN now part of America? This is a terrible precedent.

What a dickhead Bono is.

author by Charles Moorepublication date Sun Nov 05, 2017 22:09author address author phone

Anthony Hopkins (Charles Moore) says this to Bob (Alex Baldwin) in move THE EDGE
"Dont feel sorry for man who owns his own plane"

Dont trust these shamelessly rich people who depicted themself as humanist untill they give up all fortune and keeps only what ordinary people need for happy living. They preach water but drink wine. They are like greedy priest delivering sermon for money.

author by Connemara Manpublication date Tue Nov 07, 2017 17:03author address author phone

The English establishment were up to their eyes in this latest paradise papers tax evasion scandal.
Especially the British Press Barons.
Bono said he made a simple mistake.
But the Queen of England and all her bandy legged retinue were doing it too.
To the tune of millions.
The Queen of England was cheating the English taxpayer.
Bono admits to perhaps making a simple mistake in a bad investment.
Will the Queen of England apologise?
Pigs might fly.


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/103820

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