Kerching. Does anyone reckon Bono will splash all his newfound cash on the causes he believes in and bangs on about so much? what do you do with a billion pounds if you are a gobshite rock star?

Best reason to stop using facebook yet, the fact that that gimp has anything to do with it

Bono is a supreme tax dodger, all the while exorting Govt’s, who are only really spending our taxed income, to spend more on projects he supports. The man is the worst sort of pious bulshitting hypocrite.

Well now, I’m no fan of U2 (what with them nicking our song ideas and all that) but… Do you know what he’s actually doing with all that money, given that he supports some causes and all? Hmm?

spending it on Rayband sunglasses and heroin no doubt.

Do you know what he’s actually doing with all that money

Is he buying his hat its own private plane?

no, what I’m saying is he should give 99% of a billion to the causes he goes on about. It remains to be seen..

Never mind the good causes, hopefully he’ll use it to invent a time machine, go back to the late seventies, not start a band and not make any records.

…….he should give 99% of a billion to the causes he goes on about.

Why ?

Is he asking anyone else to give 99% of their worth to charity

I’m not a big U2 or Bono fan.

I can’t really comprehend being as rich as he was before, let alone how rich he will be now. But the same goes for all rich people. Do you really need to “keep all the money” after you’ve got say 100 million in the bank?

Personally I wouldn’t. I’d use it to help others. The reason I know I’d do this is becasue I already help others, with the comparativly little I’ve got.

I wouldn’t be keen to spend money on some of the bottomless pits Bono says we should, but I do have those I would def help.

Each to there own I guess 🙂

I just think he’s a dick and now he’s a billionaire dick. With a bucketfull of silly cash like that he can do a lot. It remains to be seen..

When this Myfaceshite bubble burst there will be many crying but hope that the domino effect will not be as severe … 🙄

Words have not been invented to describe how much I irrationally despise Bonio.

There is something particularly grating about being preached to about world poverty by a multimillionaire, (allegedly) tax-dodging rock star wearing a preposterous cowboy hat*.

The last time I ever bought the Independent was the day before they let that twunt guest edit it, as this resulted in a vow never to give them any money ever again.

Andy

*Which he apparently once flew across the Atlantic, in its own seat in 1st class, while preaching about world poverty &c.

like!

Never mind the good causes, hopefully he’ll use it to invent a time machine, go back to the late seventies, not start a band and not make any records.

You’ve got my understanding of the space time continuum and the flux-capacitor all in a muddle now.

If someone lists all the good projects, on this thread, that Bono is involved in… he won’t have to donate any of his own money because his persona will be doing more good work than his money could… obviously.

there is a brilliant south park episode that rips bono to bits. the man is a berk of the highest order.

ermm I’m not sure about that. It’d be cool to put up a list of all the good things that Bono has done (apart from the terrible music) the point is, if he’s such a positive Jesus type figure like he claims to be. Then 99% of that Billion should go to charity/good causes right?

I’m with you Kevevs… I didn’t feel the rolling eyes smiley conveyed sufficient irony.

But we’re forgetting Bob Geldolf or is that another can of worms.

He’s probably reading all these posts about him and getting very upset by them too lol. The wonders of the internet pmsl.

LOL @ Hadge… it must be good living in a world where you don’t talk about anything outside yourself…

bono, if your reading this, can i have a million quid to feed the starving mountain bikers of STW? pretty please

haha Hadge. yeah, Bono gives a shit about stw bollucks lol!

He invested in a company which invested in Facebook. He was one of 6 investors in that company. It’s a management company, which keeps 20% of the profits on the stock it trades.

At best, he’s made $43million. That’s a lot, but not quite what’s doing the rounds on Twitter/Facebook.

..or all the newspapers, BBC etc? anyway he should put his newly aquired massive amounts of cash where his mouth is. And if he doesn’t he’ll reveal himself to be the bullshit artist that I think he is.

I really don’t get this jealousy of what the rich have got. I bet Bono has done a lot more for the charidees you all care about so much than someone like Donald Trump. Can’t stand U2 personally, but equally don’t give a toss what Bono does with his money.

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/05/18/no-facebook-did-not-make-bono-worlds-richest-musician/

I suppose it’s a bit of jealousy. But If you were an international rockstar humanitarian, what would you do with that much cash?

I have absolutely no idea. I cannot possibly put myself in that position.
I know I’d have a big house though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8598330/Glastonbury-2011-in-pictures-U2-Morrissey-and-BB-King-on-stage.html?image=3

The message hit the world stage, but people will still go and listen to him to say they’ve been there.

The strength of an economy depend on how much, and how fast, money flows through everyone’s hands. The moral problem is that being rich means accumulating wealth, taking it out of the economy. The best thing rich people can do is keep spending their wealth as fast as they accumulate it so that it flows through hands of everyone else.

To be fair to him (and god knows I hate U2) but….

Most of the charities he’s set up DATA, EDUN and so on, are all about helping african countries with trade, education, setting up micro business, and encouraging better governments. (I think he has something to do with the Gates foundation as well)

I think the argument goes that he can do loads investing the money, but you can only spend it once. Although if he wants to spend some in my direction, that would be cool. 🙂

Bono is a supreme tax dodger, all the while exorting Govt’s, who are only really spending our taxed income, to spend more on projects he supports. The man is the worst sort of pious bulshitting hypocrite.

THIS

What a supreme hypocrite of the highest order

Pay tax and stop lecturing govts on what to do with our money or pay some of your obscene wealth to some of the causes you suggest that little people should utter ****

The swear filter prevents me discussing further

Is there any evidence that he is evading tax or just avoiding it?

Big difference IMO.

Is there any evidence that he is evading tax or just avoiding it?

I expect it’s all legal, that’s what the expensive accountants are for BUT you can chose not to use complex wealth management schemes. Such as James Dyson

In 2005 the 54 billionaires in GB paid total of £14.7m income tax. Of this £9m was from James Dyson

(From a RT by Cy!)

Is there any evidence that he is evading tax or just avoiding it?

And is there any evidence how he spends his money ?

Boasting how much to give to charity isn’t very nice you know, and many people won’t entertain it preferring to do it completely anonymously.

Bono was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, 2005, and 2006 for his philanthropy.

In 2004, he was awarded the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honour from the Government of Chile. Time Magazine named Bono one of the “100 Most Influential People” in its May 2004 special issue, and again in the 2006 Time 100 special issue. In 2005, Time named Bono a Person of the Year along with Bill and Melinda Gates. Also in 2005, he received the Portuguese Order of Liberty for his humanitarian work. That year Bono was also among the first three recipients of the TED Prize.

In 2007, Bono was named in the UK’s New Years Honours List as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was formally granted knighthood on 29 March 2007 in a ceremony at the residence of British Ambassador David Reddaway in Dublin, Ireland.

Bono also received the NAACP Image Award’s Chairman’s Award in 2007. On 24 May 2007, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia announced that Bono would receive the Philadelphia Liberty Medal on 27 September 2007 for his work to end world poverty and hunger.

On 11 December 2008, Bono was given the annual Man of Peace prize, awarded by several Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Paris, France

But everyone thinks he’s a **** 🙂

Doesn’t matter how many awards you win, how you claim to be trying to help people in poverty, it all gets washed away by looking this much of a smug dick with an overpriced holdall

Doesn’t matter how many awards you win

Not when everyone thinks you’re a complete arsehole, no doesn’t. 🙂

I wonder what the people behind the Noble Peace Prize and other awards were actually thinking ?

Is there any evidence that he is evading tax or just avoiding it?

Big difference IMO.
well he wants to lecture governments on how to spend money whilst actively making sure he gives them as little of his own as possible. when they change the rules he **** off to another tax haven.Whilst not illegal it does somewhat reduce his moral mandate[ my arse he has one] to dictate to governments what should be done with tax money.

I am sure he is not as stupid as do anything illegal he has expensive accountants to cover him for this.
Personally I am not convinced that morally there is a difference between avoidance and evasion though legally there is.

Paul Hewson, aka Bono, exemplifies the worst characteristics of Wall Street, both for excess and tax evasion. He is the major financier of Spiderman, the most expensive and lavish show ever staged on Broadway. His hotel in Ireland, the Clarence, is undergoing renovations to make it the most exclusive hotel in Dublin. He set up and has a large stake in Elevation, a private equity fund whose first act was to buy a controlling share of Forbes magazine, which celebrates wealth and over-consumption. U2 has a private jet, and Bono has a half share in a $15 million yacht, a mansion in Dublin, a house on the French Riviera and an A-list apartment inManhattan.

Ireland created a tax exemption in the early 1980’s to help artists make a modest living in a small country. U2 used and abused this exemption to amass hundreds of millions of dollars, tax free. When the Irish government put a cap on the tax exemption on royalties in 2006, U2 promptly moved that portion of their business to a Dutch tax haven. So while Bono was getting access to many of the world leaders to pressure them to double their aid budget to 0.7 percent of GDP, he himself was not even paying basic taxes. He wants ordinary people like me to pay for the causes he berates world leaders for not embracing.

Ireland is now bankrupt, and there have been calls from some government ministers for Bono to pay his taxes so the country can keep hospitals and schools open. Those appeals have fallen on deaf ears, despite the fact that Bono and U2 have extensively traded on being Irish to engender fan loyalty.

I don’t see anything wrong with tax avoidance, and I don’t believe anyone here who says they wouldn’t.

It’s just another form of hypocrisy, but given the celeb bashing you all love so much, quelle surprise?

Do you think he’s had a positive effect, achieved anything good etc? Or just enjoy disliking him?