Bono and U2 are moving to Holland so to pay less taxes than they actually do in Ireland.....

The amount the he and the band will save is 15 mio euro a year....

That's how much he cares about the rest of the society / the irish people / the poorer ones in Ireland... Probably the irish people could have some school / kindergardens for those money....

I know Stones also has moved out of UK to save taxes, but they never declared themselves as being the ones to help the poor ones.....

well, like most people they care about 2 things:

Themselves and Money

Nothing wrong with that

Why post something like this as fact without giving a source? I'm sure you'll find out this is false, meanwhile you will have just ranted on about feeling they are hypocrites and have been completely wrong in assuming so.

What is false? They are in Holland for tax-reasons, that's ture, it was on the news quite a lot here.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-07 04:13 by Beelyboy.

They do not, and as far as I know, are not planning to live in Holland. Like the Stones, they have businesses set up in Holland for tax reasons, but no member of U2 is known to have a residence in Holland as was stated. It is well known that Bono and The Edge have homes next to each other in Eze, France and have been spending a lot of their time there this summer, so I don't know where this "moving to Holland" rumor came from.

If Country Honk read it online, he should post a link to the article or quote from it, instead of just ranting on about something that apparently is incorrect.

That's not what me meant, Einstein!!

Bono trys to be a rock star and tries to save the world. He should make his mind up which he wants to do coz at the moment he's crap at both.

Yeah, it's like a sumo-wrestler who wants a pro cycling career.

Bono's using the same tax scheme as the Stones.
It's pretty disgusting from both bands. Even worse for U2 with the whole "give money to the poor countries" speech.

Yeah.

The Stones are like @#$%& leeches but at least they don't hide it.

What I meant in my post and which should be obvious is: tax location...

The source for the story is fx. Irish Independent

He is also about to buy himself a position in Forbes......

I think that bono is one of the phoniest bastards ever, I simply cannot stand the man, he literally makes me puke, he is so egotistical it is unbelievable, who does he think he is? nothing more than some uneducated punk trying to obtain heights that are in a world where he does not belong, stick to your shit music man and where you belong!

V Masters

Well said.

@valerie
You took the words right out of my mouth...

If anyone's interested in who Bono really is and what he is all about, check out David McGowan's webstite "Center for an Informed America" - www.davesweb.cnchost.com/ - Newsletter #77, January 8, 2006. Interesting stuff.

valerie masters Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think that bono is one of the phoniest bastards
> ever, I simply cannot stand the man, he literally
> makes me puke, he is so egotistical it is
> unbelievable, who does he think he is? nothing
> more than some uneducated punk trying to obtain
> heights that are in a world where he does not
> belong, stick to your shit music man and where you
> belong!
>
> V Masters


Some agreements there valerie.
I remember some weeks ago, I went into a recordshop to buy the DVD box from the LIVE 8 concert. But I changed my mind when I looked at the backside of the cover, where Geldof, Bono & co did make some fools out of the presidents and prime ministers from the G8 countries. They were all dressed up in beautiful clothes and ate large amounts of delicious food, when this naked and tiny african boy was standing alone above them. I got the point, but the truth is that Bob Geldof, Bono, U2, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Sir Paul McCartney,REM, Robbie Williams, Sting, Velvet Revolver, The Who and all the other LIVE 8 bands are sitting around the same G8 table and eating the same find food. I remenber Richards talked about how he refused to play the LIVE 8 gig for various reasons backstage at Fenway Park in Boston '05.

I don't spend my time to envious rich people, but can't stand people like Bono (a wealthy and rich millionaire) who pretends to be a saint or the pope. Rolling Stones make good money, but don't pretend to be something else than a hard working rock'n'roll band on tour.

[www.45walldesign.com]

I am a fan of U2 and have seen them countless times, one pet peeve is something he has said on stage the last couple times "Thank you for giving us a good life"

Here is more about Bono / U2 - amongst other metioning about Bono complaining about Ireland paying to little money to the poor countries and then U2 is escaping Ireland and paying less taxes (no) in Ireland:

[arts.guardian.co.uk]

[business.guardian.co.uk]

[business.guardian.co.uk]

country honk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bono and U2 are moving to Holland so to pay less
> taxes than they actually do in Ireland.....

no theyre not. They still live in Ireland and will remain there.. their business interests are moving to Holland - as the Stones did. Try reading it


>The amount the he and the band will save is 15 mio euro a year....


more power to them..and the problem with legally avoiding paying more tax than you can is what?


>That's how much he cares about the rest of the society / the irish people / the poorer ones in Ireland... Probably the irish people could have some school / kindergardens for those money....

and living in Ireland as you do (hah!), you undoubtedly know all about this? You obviously are qualified to make a judgement on any charity donations they make as well as their tax deductions?


>I know Stones also has moved out of UK to save taxes, but they never declared themselves as being the ones to help the poor ones.....

well that WOULD be taking the piss!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-08-10 20:57 by Gazza.

Paying taxes is, ideally, a more legitimate and efficient way of helping your society than is celebrity fundraising for charity. It's supposed to be a systematic and fair redistribution of wealth. I say "ideally" b/c paying taxes is a problem when your govt uses your money in ways you don't approve, like starting wars, etc. The solution is supposed to be voting, but that's broken too. But pulling your tax money out of your country seems like giving verbal support for public school but putting your kids in private school (I mean the US version of public/private ed.).

Good point, cc. Given the choice between paying £10 million in tax to a government who may (and almost certainly will) use it not to my liking and donating it to the causes of my choosing - well its a no brainer.

The Bono case is can be compared to this:

If the pope made an album, it would probably be the best selling album ever.

Bono only represents 20% of the U2 business side of things, with the other 80% being made up of the 3 other band members and their manager Paul McGuinness. I'm sure Bono is well aware of the flack they are going to take by moving some of their business operations to Holland, but I bet that if he wanted it all to stay in Ireland, he either was or would be outvoted by the other partners.

McGuinness as manager naturally would want to do what is most beneficial to all of their financial situations. Larry and Adam tolerate Bono speaking out on stage and doing his charity work, but rarely participate in it outside of an actual U2 concert. I really doubt they are willing to lose millions of their Euros to taxes to make Bono look less hypocritical in the eyes of his critics. Right there, you have 60% of the partnership that would outvote Bono.

The Edge participates more in charity events than Larry and Adam, but outside of his Music Rising initiative to help put instruments back in the hands of destitute New Orleans musicians, his charity work revolves around him performing at events with Bono. He probably would, like the other 3, want to save on his taxes in Ireland, especially cosidering that he is not Irish and is only an Irish resident for part of the year, not a citizen.

Even if it was worth it to Bono to pay these extra millions in taxes to the Irish government to avoid the extra criticism, the decision is not his alone.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-08-10 23:31 by Halup.

shh...dont let well-argued facts and logic get in the way of an argument, Halup !

country honk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bono and U2 are moving to Holland so to pay less
> taxes than they actually do in Ireland.....

>no theyre not. They still live in Ireland and will remain there.. their >business interests are moving to Holland - as the Stones did. Try reading it

I have already corrected myself before: tax location - but you seem like the ignorant person, that only reads what you want.....

>The amount the he and the band will save is 15 mio euro a year....


>more power to them..and the problem with legally avoiding paying more tax than >you can is what?

More power to them - bullshit.... more money, more egoism... I am quite happy to live in the country with the almost highest taxes.... therefore we barely have poor people running on the street.... humanity I call it... not egocentric behavior which is the dominating trend in UK / US and other similar countries....


>That's how much he cares about the rest of the society / the irish people / the poorer ones in Ireland... Probably the irish people could have some school / kindergardens for those money....

>and living in Ireland as you do (hah!), you undoubtedly know all about this? >You obviously are qualified to make a judgement on any charity donations they >make as well as their tax deductions?

I don't live in Ireland, but people moving tax location to other countries so to pay less taxes make me sick... and I barely can't imagine they have somehow a human behaviour / thinking... Bono's goal is to promote himself, not so much charity.... Have you ever seen him speaking on TV - he talks like a working class shit (which is his poor background), making no sense (because he has no education - poor him), and his social working class shit background is the drive behind his desire to become famous.... it would be the most interesting case for a psycologist ........

>I know Stones also has moved out of UK to save taxes, but they never declared themselves as being the ones to help the poor ones.....

>well that WOULD be taking the piss!

At least they live in reality and not faking up their behaviour which U2 definitly are doing....

country honk Wrote:

> Bono's goal is to promote himself, not so much
> charity.... Have you ever seen him speaking on TV
> - he talks like a working class shit (which is his
> poor background), making no sense (because he has
> no education - poor him), and his social working
> class shit background is the drive behind his
> desire to become famous.... it would be the most
> interesting case for a psycologist ........


This is strictly your opinion, not fact. If I blindly came accross your argument without any knowledge of the matter, who should I listen to, you or the politicians who have worked with Bono? What is a fact, not your opinion, is that many politicans in various govermnets have stated how persuasive and eloquent Bono was in explaining the situation in Africa to them and campaigning for debt relief for those nations. These individuals include Paul O'Neill, the former US Treasury Secretary who was moved to accompany Bono on a tour of nations in Africa entirely because of what Bono told him. Seems that he made a lot of sense to the individuals to which it matters most, even if it did not make any sense to you.

It seems that you elitisim and cynicism have made you mind up as to how effective Bono has been and you have not delved into the matter more to discover the facts. Should only the highest educated people worldwide be able to try to create change? True, Bono is not college educated, but at his side is his wife Ali who does hold a degrre in Political Science from Trinity College in Dublin. He also has a partner in his campaign in Jeffrey Sachs from Harvard.

country honk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> country honk Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Bono and U2 are moving to Holland so to pay less
>
> > taxes than they actually do in Ireland.....
>
> >no theyre not. They still live in Ireland and
> will remain there.. their >business interests are
> moving to Holland - as the Stones did. Try reading
> it
>
> I have already corrected myself before: tax
> location - but you seem like the ignorant person,
> that only reads what you want.....
>

yet even after 'correcting' yourself, you chose to make a post afterwards still ranting about them "escaping Ireland". Calling someone a "working class shit" because of what you perceive as their "poor background" sounds pretty ignorant and elitist to me and is a strange remark to make for someone so anxious to defend the disadvantaged in Ireland in an earlier post!

Seriously, read Halup's much better argued posts which make more sense and are based on fact and not ill-informed nonsense based more on your own personal and obsessive hatred for someone than anything else.
-------------------------------------------------------
>> More power to them - bullshit.... more money, more
> egoism... I am quite happy to live in the country
> with the almost highest taxes.... therefore we
> barely have poor people running on the street....
> humanity I call it... not egocentric behavior
> which is the dominating trend in UK / US and other
> similar countries....
>
I dont need a lecture from you or anyone who I dont know and who doesnt know me personally based on ignorant stereotypes. I'm as sympathetic to the plight of the poor as any or most people - however what people choose to do with their money to help the disadvantaged is a matter for their own conscience and is their own business - not for you or anyone to browbeat them over the matter
country honk Wrote:
>
> At least they live in reality and not faking up
> their behaviour which U2 definitly are doing....

lets see. Youre suggesting the Stones have never "faked up" something based on an excuse to help people less fortunate than themselves? Heres one - Does the postponed UK tour in 1998 ring any bells?? When they pulled the tour to avoid paying tax, shafting 220,000 ticket buyers - with the excuse that they werent doing it for themselves but to protect the ordinary guys in the crew who would have lost all their money in back tax? (Even though most of their crew, being US citizens, werent actually subject to the UK tax laws..). Give me a break.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-08-11 00:20 by Gazza.