Here's one for the Bono fans -- "Bono: tax avoider."

[asthmaticeog]

http://www.slate.com/id/2152580/


A familiar paradox about leftist celebrities in the entertainment industry is that their embrace of progressivism almost never includes a wholehearted embrace of progressive taxation, i.e., the principle that the richer you get, the larger the percentage of your income you ought to pay in taxes. The latest example is U2's Bono, a committed and unusually sophisticated anti-poverty crusader who is taking surprisingly little heat for the decision by his band, U2, to relocate its music-publishing business from Ireland to the Netherlands in order to shelter its songwriting royalties from taxation.

The irony was stated in admirably stark terms by Bloomberg's Fergal O'Brien, who reported on Oct. 16:
Bono, the rock star and campaigner against Third World debt, is asking the Irish government to contribute more to Africa. At the same time, he's reducing tax payments that could help fund that aid.

<snip>

Six months later, Ireland's finance minister announced a ceiling of $319,000 on tax-free incomes, and six months after that, U2 opened its Amsterdam office. The relocation of U2's music publishing will halve taxes on the band's songwriting royalties, which already reportedly total $286 million. Although Bono has declined to comment on the move, the band's lead guitarist, David "the Edge" Evans, said, "Of course we're trying to be tax-efficient. Who doesn't want to be tax-efficient?'" Writing in the Observer, Nick Cohen noted that Evans "sounded as edgy as a plump accountant in the 19th hole."

<snip>

More at link.
_________________________________

Anyone still unconvinced that Bono is a fraudulent, self-righteous, gruesomely hypocritical posturing fuck?

[Deja Q]

1. K&R

[Fenris]

2. K&R

:evilgrin:

[Crazy Dave]

3. Maybe what they save in taxes...

...they donate to charities and causes of their choice :shrug:

[Deja Q]

4. I doubt it. All Bono gave us is a red ipod nano and cool shades.

I'd rather spend the $200 directly to a cause than buy a plastic trinket, only $17 of which goes to said charity. And of that $17, maybe $0.50 goes to actual research.

[Crazy Dave]

11. A long time ago...

...so long ago I saw it on the "Dinah" show, Paul Newman was talking about when he started the "Newman's Own" company he had intended it to be a non-profit company with all profits to go to different charities. He described how difficult it was because the government just couldn't stand the fact that they wouldn't be able to get their hands on that money in taxes and therefore made it really difficult for him to do it and had their sheep demonize him as rich celebrity not wanting to pay his fair share of taxes.

[asthmaticeog]

5. Maybe fans rationalize on behalf of their heroes.

Sorry, that doesn't fly. Progressive taxation is THE justice issue, and Bono's sold himself as Mr. Justice. Millionaire rock stars weeping for the poor in public but offshoring their incomes in private are worse than libertarians. Libertarians, at least, are honest about being property-obsessed fucks.

[Crazy Dave]

8. I don't know if that's the case or not. Not a fan either

Are you just making assumptions that people who don't immediately condemn U2 are fans? I'm just being a little more open minded about it.

[asthmaticeog]

15. I've re-read my post to you...

...and you're absolutely right, my tone was inappropriately personal. I apologize.

[Crazy Dave]

20. Accepted, thank you

I personally can't stand the guy but I share the opinion of some of the others. He has brought a lot of attention to a subject that most people and politicians like to ignore. It reminds me of how our own government fails us when it comes to spending our tax dollars that they take away from us, the middle class, but yet they make sure we pay our fair share, and more or we go to jail. They're failing us with health care, they're failing as far as maintaining our education system, they failed the Katrina victims and especially failing future generations by spending as much as they have on the war. Once the government gets their hands on our money, they do as they please.
That's why I was thinking that maybe there was more to the story and not all is known. And it reminded me of the Paul Newman story with his company wanting to give all it's non-taxed profits to charity. (Post #11)

[skygazer]

6. Obviously you have your mind made up about that

And while I understand what you're saying, I will point out that Bono is only one of four in the group. As such, it may or may not be his decision to move the business. He may have been out-voted.

I think it's absurd to call someone a "fraudulent, self-righteous, gruesomely hypocritical posturing fuck" when they spend the amount of time, effort and money he does on behalf of some very good causes around the world. Are all the things he gets involved with perfect? No. Are you? Am I? He does a hell of a lot more for the poor of the world than I do, that's all I know.

In short, I may not agree with everything he does (and I'm offering no opinion either way on this because I don't know any more about it than what you've posted) but I give him a lot of credit for the efforts he's made. I don't understand the bashing of celebrities who actually try to do some good - we have so many vapid, empty-headed morans like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears running around yet people put down those who are actually trying to make some sort of a difference. Bizarre.

[Deja Q]

7. A captain is usually responsible for the actions of his crew.

Or that's how I was raised, but times change, it seems...

[WildEyedLiberal]

9. Completely agree

It seems like wealthy celebrities who are activists for a cause receive more scorn than those who use their wealthy purely for vanities. I don't get it either. Even if all he does is "posture," as the OP brazenly suggests, his "posturing" has made more people aware of the crisis in Africa who otherwise may have never heard of it. How else are young people immersed in pop culture going to learn about the world around them? For the most part, they don't read Newsweek - so if hearing about Bono's activism on MTV makes them think about poverty in Africa, he's done something good.

[WCGreen]

10. Perhaps, just perhaps, the other three in the band

don't share Bono's Charitable Zeal...

[asthmaticeog]

12. Somehow I don't see the figurehead who puts the asses in the stadium seats

being outvoted by Larry "Who?" Mullen and Adam "Who?" Clayton.

[WCGreen]

13. You are right....

But it's probably how the boyo justifies it to himself late at night....

[ghostsofgiants]

14. But dude, what about THE EDGE?!

[asthmaticeog]

16. The world owes the Edge a huge debt.

Thanks to him, the scarf has supplanted the hat as the official rock 'n' roll toupée, AND one can be seen as a guitar hero just by mastering the major fifth.

[ghostsofgiants]

17. You mean the major fifth with a fuckload of delay and reverb.

[asthmaticeog]

18. BTW...

have you heard of the ComSat Angels? Between them and Andy Summers, that's where the Edge nicked all of his moves. And I do mean all.

[ghostsofgiants]

19. I have not.

Any recommendations that I should check out?

[mitchum]

21. and they left out the part about his off key caterwauling

[cemaphonic]

22. In the wise words of Casey Kasem so many years ago...

This is bullshit! Nobody cares! ... These guys are from England and who gives a shit!

[slj0101]

23. A lot of Brit musicians are tax cheats, at least when it comes to recording.

Still, Bono makes me want to hurt innocent people.