Bono understands your plight. He knows you pay a lot in taxes. He wants you to pay more:
Tuesday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, U2 frontman and anti-poverty activist Bono called for the U.S. to send more assistance to Europe to shore up the European Union as it buckles under the Third World migrant crisis, even though Americans are struggling to bear their own tax burdens.
“I know the American taxpayer is really hurting at the moment and the same in Europe,” Bono said. “But I think between Europe and America there is a consensus building that, you know, the corruption that’s killing as many kids as disease can be dealt with by structuring these concessional loans on the conditions that these countries that we give them to reform.”
Bono’s MSNBC segment was meant to draw attention to his upcoming testimony Tuesday before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, where he is expected to discuss violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance.
Bono is reported to have a net worth of $600 million.
Part of that is due to U2’s fleeing from Ireland- fleeing from taxes in their home country.
U2 HAVE begun pulling their multi-million business empire out of Ireland and moving it to Holland as a result of the cap on the artists’ tax exemption which came into existence earlier this year.
Arts chiefs warned that the ?250,000 cap announced as part of last December’s budget would mean many of the biggest earners such as U2 would leave Ireland because they now face sizeable tax bills on their incomes.
From June 1, U2 moved some of their business affairs to the same Dutch finance house used by the Rolling Stones to avail of a virtually tax-free status on their multi-million Euro royalties.
The northside Dublin rockers were the world’s biggest musical earners last year, taking in a whopping ?217m. According to industry sources, they faced a potential multi-million Euro tax bill had their business remained in Ireland this year as a result of royalty earnings from their ongoing Vertigo world tour.
Holland’s virtual tax-free status is a great attraction for big players such as the Stones and U2 because there is no direct tax on royalties, unlike in most other countries.
Bono offered a bullsh*t rationale for their departure:
It is not an intellectually rigorous position unless you understand that at the heart of the Irish economy has always been the philosophy of tax competitiveness. Tax competitiveness has taken our country out of poverty. People in the revenue accept that if you engage in that policy then some people are going to go out, and some people are coming in. It has been a successful policy. On the cranky left that is very annoying, I can see that. But tax competitiveness is why Ireland has stayed afloat. When the Germans tried to impose a different tax regime on the country in exchange for a bailout, the taoiseach said they would rather not have the bailout. So U2 is in total harmony with our government’s philosophy.
What a load of crap. Ireland has economic troubles and could use the tax revenues.
Years later, the criticism hasn’t diminished. Former Irish Junior Health Minister Roisin Shorthall voiced her opinion of the move this year, saying:
“I think there is that issue about loyalty to the country you are born in and I think it would show a tremendous example to everybody if they were to bring back their tax affairs to Ireland. In any modern democracy people pay their fair share of tax.”
How many times have we seen this? These execrable hypocrites lecture us about helping while they won’t help their own brethren. How much of Bono’s fortune is being expended on “immigrants”?
Probably about as much as Springsteen’s or the Clinton’s. I always enjoyed Laura Ingraham’s advice for these liberals:
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
today PredictWise (http://predictwise.com/politics/2016-president-winner#Link6 )reached a new high of 75% of the Dems winning the White House it has gone up steadily from about 66% over the last 6 weeks or so
I don’t think the GOP strategy of just calling other people far left liberals or socialists or tax evaders seems to be working
Dr J, the GOP has had a majority in Congress. What have they done to address tax inequality ? Are you suggesting that someone like Elizabeth Warren would make better fairer tax policies ? The USA reached new high in tax receipts. Who had to pay? Not American corporations that’s for sure!
2/3 of ALL American corporations paid zero Federal Taxes. This is happening when corporate profits are at ALL TIME highs.
In the USA those who pay taxes seem to be only those who cannot afford to buy a congressperson The GOP has consistently protected the tax position of the wealthy and corporations. The low taxes that Springsteen pays on his farm land are low to protect that land from development, development that would give Springsteen huge profits
As for Bono? Since when should I be overly concerned about taxes in Ireland. I am much more concerned about taxes in the USA Stop trying to distract us with the “look !!! bad liberals misbehaving !!!” it no longer works
Yeah, I have no problem anyone – including Bummer … I mean Bono … scheming to keep as much of his earnings as he can. Where I do have a problem is those same people lecturing us about how we need to pay more taxes to “pay our fair share”. Warren Buffett is another of that sort.
Liberals loves them some taxes…. on everyone else. Buffett thinks we should pay more, but he won’t pay his; Berkshire Hathaway STILL owes a billion dollars in taxes. Kerry buys a yacht and tries to weasel out on his taxes… until he got caught. Sharpton? Rangel? Immelt?
Surely there is a compilation of these liberal scafflaws with the “good for thee, not for me” view on taxes.
Bono’s wife is nice, whenever i was doing red carpet she always broke away to say high and chat… (used to piss off the daily news photogs)… as to the man himself, we only met once and in passing and never ever conversed… though i did once see a concert of his.. 🙂
The left keeps saying that if we only paid more in taxes, the economy would get better. Well the US Treasury just reported this week they are taking in the largest tax haul in history, yet the economy is tanking. Having just written the check to the corrupt IRS for 2015, I do not have to tolerate another multimillionaire leftist tell me I need to have even more taken by government, particularly not when said hypocrite took measures to decrease his own tax bill.
It is always the same with these leftists…they always insist somebody else be forced to pay the bill.
Bono has been mugged by reality, years ago.
Remember his charities for the starving hoards in Africa?
Remember when he told everybody to STOP giving Africans money or food?
I do.
He came to his senses.
All he did, with all those millions was assist Africans in making more baby Africans.
The wars didn’t stop.
The schisms didn’t heal.
The poverty didn’t lessen.
Now, he has taken control of as much of his own money as possible via changing home countries for the sake of taxes.
At least he is well informed.
Comedian George Lopez let us all know that he’s endorsing Senator Bernie Sanders, while paradoxically, making it known he doesn’t want to pay any more taxes.
If Bernie is elected, not only will Lopez’s taxes go up, but they’ll skyrocket at a rate higher than in comparison to any other person running for President.
If either democrat gets elected and the GOP.loses control of either chamber of Congress, taxes will go up, and the economy will get even worse. The simple fact of the matter is that there is no incentive to work more, to produce more, or to earn more if the government is simply going to take an even larger chunk of one’s income. Businesses will not increase investment or employment in the face of increased bureaucratic compliance costs, as can be so easily seen in leftist enclaves like Seattle after the idiotic $15/hr minimum wage fiasco.
@Pete: The problem with Democrats and liberals is they never bother to try to SOLVE a problem. Wherever there is an issue or problem, even if the government is already addressing it, their only solution is to throw more money at it. Of course, they aren’t interested in using THEIR money… just YOURS. Thus, wasting it by the billions is no concern.
The programs they put in place to resolve the problems fail? Well, they just didn’t have enough money. Give me some more… or you are a racist.
Who pays for all the free stuff demoncrats propose in their vote buying schemes?? The tax the rich to pay for it is total BS and the American taxpayer now covers everything. In Cali we pay for illegals to have free healthcare, education, in state tuition and elgible for scholarships, and soon the right to vote!! Not legals, but illegals!! Then see what illegals do to our health care system, educational system, and legal system for starters!! So what do the libturd administration in Scramento and Washington do to prevent it, not a thing but tell border patrol agents to NOT do their jobs!!
What galls me is while I am paying more in taxes now than I made as a senior LTC in the army, I am almost daily signing forms for people sporting the latest cell phones to have a taxpayer provided breast pump, as well as forms for taxpayer provided formula. I work 25-27 days per month to make enough to care for my own family while paying our current confiscatory taxes, then I have to listen to some leftist asshat worth over 600 million dollars, who moved his operations to a lower tax country, tell me I need to pay even more in taxes to provide money for people not even citizens of my country.
If they raise my taxes again, there is no reason for me to work so hard.
@Pete: Just stay home and get the free stuff like the liberals! If you ask nice, maybe the liberals here would help you out a little.
Don’t hold you breath until that happens though!@john: John, you know little of what you speak. 2/3rds of American corporations are S corporations and they are not tax paying entities. Their profits/losses are passed through to the shareholders who pay the taxes. A broad statement that profits at American corporations are at “ALL TIME Highs” is just typical of left wing obfuscation. Are the oil companies’ profits at all time highs? How about the coal companies? (Two industries that pay the highest amounts of taxes when they are profitable.) How about Apple, Google, Facebook, and the other left wing darlings, all of which stash their foreign profits in offshore subsidiaries in order to avoid US taxes.
As for the failure of the Republicans to reform the tax system, that task is not going to be accomplished until there is agreement at the White House and the only tax reform that Obuma would sign would be reform that raises taxes.
We have a terribly dysfunctional tax system at both Federal and state levels, that discourages entrepreneurship and encourages evasive maneuvers. We have politicians offering the same old failed bromides. The debate between Bernie and Hillary the other night was like an argument between two old hags in a rest home over a bingo number.
We are in tough times and if your comments are the best you can do, I can only conclude that you are bought and paid for by the DNC.
Disturber
@Disturber: Now why would a liberal try to understand that? They make up their own facts! Liberals fail to understand that those nasty corporations are all of us who invest. We as investors pay the taxes on the profits of the corporations that we get as dividends. To tax corporate profits and our dividends is double taxation. Didn’t we fight a war over that several hundred years ago?
And do not overlook the politicians slavering over 401k accounts. When Reid was still Senate majority leader that little trial balloon was floated out a couple of times. Imagine the hit to the economy should the federal government ever move to take over those accounts. People will take their money out in droves and create a nightmare scenario in the investment field.
BONEHEAD BONO PLEASE GO SOAK YOUR HEAD YOU IDIOT
Bon Bonehead please go and jump off a cliff you pinheaded pinhead