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Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Tax campaigners to protest during U2’s Glasto set
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 6 June 2011
Anti-tax-avoidance campaigners are planning on protesting during U2’s headline set at Glastonbury later this month over the band’s much reported tax arrangements. Bono et al controversially moved their business interests to the Netherlands in 2006 after the Irish government removed some tax breaks for artists.
A spokesman for the Art Uncut campaign, which will lead the protest, told The Guardian: “Bono claims to care about the developing world, but U2 greedily indulges in the very kind of tax avoidance which is crippling the poor nations of this world. We will be showing the very real impact of U2’s tax avoidance on hospitals and schools in Ireland. Anyone watching will be very much aware that Bono needs to pay up”.
Responding to past criticism of U2’s tax arrangements, their manager Paul McGuinness has previously said 95% of the band’s operations take place outside of Ireland, and that they pay tax on that income in various places around the world.
While, responding to this latest round of opposition to U2’s tax arrangements, Bono’s anti-poverty campaign group One were keen to stress this weekend why him being tax efficient wasn’t contradictory to their aims, telling reporters: “U2’s business arrangements have nothing to do with illegal tax evasion and transfer mispricing in developing countries, critical issues which Bono and One campaign on”.
