Truemors
Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor
Yes, Rocker Bono and his bandmates may sing "It's a Beautiful Day", but the Government Taxmen feel those "Beautiful Days may be over" for the group after investigating the Band Music Publishing Company for tax evasion.
I previously wrote of Bono's hyposcrisy a year ago, much to the displeasure of his fans. Today, my wild James Bond Conspiracy fantasy theory, stated by many has been proven Correct!. "Land O Goshen"! That's Unpossible?
U2 Music Publishing Company to avoid paying taxes, moved their Corporate Offices from Ireland to the Netherlands, where many Celebrities and Companies all over the world locate in order to avoid paying taxes in their Country of origin, Netherland seems to take advantage of the Caribbean's lax banking laws to squirrel away their clients cash away from prying eyes of Government tax auditors. Only Celebrities you say? For Now Public Readers in Canada, perhaps ask yourself this, do you wonder where Canadian Tires Corporate offices and some Canadian Banks Corporate offices are located? "Bingo is his Nameo".
Bono, popular with world leaders looking to gain the youth vote, ingratiate themselves with Bono, and Bono's request for Governments to forgive third world debt.
Two years ago you may recall the Smoochfest, tongues included with our Canadian Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, a man whose Shipping Business charged by those in the know, takes full advantage of flagging ships in third world countries to avoid paying Canadian taxes and hiring Canadian workers. One can only assume the meetings of Rock God Bono and the Liberal Prime Minister certainly must have given each other th old nudge, nudge, wink, wink, to each other, both seen by critics as Tax evaders and compadres in arms with many feeling were both laughing all the way to their thrid world banks .
Our Current Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, refused a meeting with Bono last year when our Ilustrious Prime Minister was hosting a Canada, US , Mexico Summit. This snub to Bono by our Prime Minister was seen Worldwide by Bono fans, and opposition politicians alike who felt the Prime Minister and his Conservative Government were yet again uncaring neanderthals when it came to third world relief, which Bono was eager to discuss with our present Prime Minister.
The Public should never sell Stephen Harper short, it is a certainty that the Prime Minister was apprised of Bono's financial hyposcrisy.
At least U2 Bono's promise to help third world countries with his own money instead of useless dialogue is actually true. Bono is certainly true to his word, his money most llikely is in his third world Caribbean bank. Semantics, Semantics, its all in the Semantics,,,,
Big paychecks for U2 millionaires10/26/2007 5:00 PM, AP
Shawn Pogatchnik
U2 Ltd., the Irish band's music publishing company, raked in $30 million-plus last year — and $25.8 million of it went to five unidentified "employees," according to documents obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
Those "employees" are suspected to be the band members and their longtime manager, Paul McGuinness. But U2's public relations firms in Dublin and London refused to confirm that.
While Bono has won accolades worldwide for raising awareness of Third World poverty, he has been criticized for moving U2's corporate offices out of Ireland to avoid paying taxes. The U2 Ltd. documents show the band moved its corporate base last year from Ireland to the Netherlands, where royalties on music incur virtually no tax.
The move, while perfectly legal, strikes a raw nerve in Ireland, whose wealthiest citizens often live as tax exiles in other European countries to avoid tax.
It's not known whether the globe-trotting Bono — who owns a mansion overlooking Dublin Bay — pays personal taxes in Ireland.
U2 Ltd.'s move to the Netherlands coincided with the appearance on its accounts, for the first time, of five "employees."
The documents, filed this week at the Irish Companies Registration Office in Dublin, record that the four band members — Paul "Bono" Hewson, Dave "The Edge" Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen — quit the U2 Ltd. board when the company relocated to Amsterdam in June 2006.
The documents offered no breakdown of pay to the five. Previous years' U2 Ltd. accounts, produced when the U2 members were still company directors, listed employee salaries as zero.
U2 Ltd. said it paid nearly $1.1 million in 2006 tax to Ireland, compared to just $46,500 in 2005.
The increased tax bill in 2006 reflects U2's sudden exposure to taxes on royalty income in Ireland. Last year the government — stung by criticism that its traditional tax-free status for artists was not intended to support multimillionaires like U2 — capped the tax-free benefit at $360,000 annually.
Within months, U2 relocated its corporate base to Amsterdam.
The U2 Ltd. documents, reflecting the band's continuous collection of royalty payments for album and music-download sales as well as rebroadcast rights, are unrelated to the band's profits from its most recent worldwide tour. Billboard reported that the Vertigo tour grossed more than $260 million.
Bono and the other U2 members regularly make lists of Ireland's wealthiest people. One often published figure estimates their wealth at $860 million, but the figure has proved impossible to document given the band's myriad investment projects and companies.
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