Bono: From Rock 'n' Roll to Stock 'n' Trade


Sucks and Tax and Stock 'n' Roll 

The Guardian: "U2 singer says capitalism and commerce play a vital role in lifting people out of poverty and that Ireland’s tax policies benefit the country’s economy"
Bono: controversial tax laws have brought Ireland the only prosperity it’s ever known


"Songs of Innocence"

In an interview with the Observer, the Irish singer says his country’s tax policies have “brought our country the only prosperity we’ve known”.
Speaking about U2’s partnership with Apple to give away the band’s latest album, "Songs of Innocence", free to half a billion iTunes users, Bono said: “We got paid. And this is about a company [Apple] that’s fighting for musicians to be paid.”
Many iTunes users were, however, incensed that the album had been automatically sent to their accounts and Apple was forced to release a tool enabling unhappy customers to delete it.
Apple declares that "U2 and Apple team up for the world’s largest album release ever as U2 thrashes forward with music that confronts innocence and forges immortality."



Tax Treck

The Double Irish loophole allows US companies, mostly in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors, to reduce their effective tax bill far below Ireland’s already generous 12.5% corporate tax rate by shifting most of their taxable income from an operating company in Ireland to another Irish-registered firm located in an offshore tax haven, such as Bermuda.

This controversial structure enables many US multinationals to avoid paying tax on their UK sales, by diverting them to the Irish Republic. Google, for example, made $5.6bn (£3.4bn) of revenues in the UK last year, but paid corporation tax of just £20.4m.

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The arrangement has allowed some American companies to pay an effective tax rate of just 2.2%, according to the 2011 reports of the Irish divisions of US companies to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. But the Irish government disputes the figures.
The GuardianBono: controversial tax laws have brought Ireland the only prosperity it’s ever known


U2 singer Bono arrives for George Clooney's wedding



Stock 'n' Roll

Bono: “That’s how we got these companies here … We don’t have natural resources, we have to be able to attract people.”

Bono’s comments come as the European Union launches a crackdown on the state aid that Ireland allegedly provides illegally to some US companies. Releasing preliminary details of an investigation last month, Brussels suggested deals between the Irish government and Apple “constitute state aid”. Both Ireland and Apple – which teamed up with U2 last month to release the band’s latest album – deny any wrongdoing.


Frank Sinatra and... Bono - I've Got You Under My Skin


Self - Serving Bias

Self - Serving Bias is any cognitive or perceptual process that is distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem. When individuals reject the validity of negative feedback, focus on their strengths and achievements but overlook their faults and failures, or take more responsibility for their group's work than they give to other members, they are protecting the ego from threat and injury.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-serving_bias

YEAH YEAH YEAAH!

Bono has previously attracted controversy for the band’s tax arrangements. In 2006 the band transferred the company that handles its publishing royalties from Ireland to the Netherlands to reduce its tax bill.

At the band’s headline gig at the 2011 Glastonbury festival, a small lobby of audience members waved banners protesting about the issue. U2’s guitarist, the Edge, said: “Was it totally fair? Probably not. The perception is a gross distortion. We do pay a lot of tax. But if I was them I probably would have done the same.”


South Park: Bono YEAH YEAH YEAAH!



Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, venture capitalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best recognized as the frontman of the Dublin-based rock band U2.

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion). U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor, filmmaker, and conductor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra

South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Centraltelevision network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language and dark,surreal humor that satirizes a wide range of topics.