The article begins:
"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.
After Ireland said it would scrap a break that lets musicians and artists avoid paying taxes on royalties, Bono and his U2 bandmates earlier this year moved their music publishing company to the Netherlands. The Dublin group, which Forbes estimates earned $110 million in 2005, will pay about 5 percent tax on their royalties, less than half the Irish rate..."
The article continues:...The tax move has tainted the image of Bono, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and U2 at home. Now promoting a new DVD, book and album, the band is fighting back. Lead guitarist David Evans, known as The Edge, earlier this month defended the publishing company's move as a sensible decision for a group that makes 90 percent of its money outside Ireland.
"Our business is a very complex business,'' Evans said Oct. 2 on Dublin radio station Newstalk, breaking the band's silence after weeks of public criticism. ``Of course we're trying to be tax-efficient. Who doesn't want to be tax-efficient?''
I love that line, "Who doesn't want to be tax-efficient?"Well, hey Mr. Bono and Mr. Edge, if you want to be tax efficient, don't ask the Irish government to give more of the people's money away! Let the people keep their money and give it away themselves. Who knows, they may use it to buy one of your new trendy, red t-shirts at the Gap that you and Oprah told us about on Friday and I went to the Gap to buy on Saturday and the good people at the Gap didn't know Oprah was going to mention the red products on TV so there was very little inventory left and I didn't get one. I want the olive one that says "inspi(red)". I do not want the red one that says "hamme(red)".
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