Irish Angry at U2's Tax Evasion

U2 is under fire for possible tax evasion as the Irish government pushes for a bigger slice of the band’s earnings, the Christian Science Monitor reports. U2 moved its publishing company to Amsterdam in 2006 after a tax bill limited artists’ tax-free earnings to $315,000. With Irish deficits mounting, some fans say U2 needs to pay its fair share.

Despite its humanitarian activism, U2 “is taking advantage of the same tax-avoidance schemes that multinational companies use to deprive developing countries of important revenue,” an Irish economist said. The band claims to be fully tax-compliant. On a personal note, singer Bono said, “the thing that stung us was the accusation of hypocrisy for my work as an activist.” (More Bono stories.)