I vote for an entirely U2 free day at least once a month. Anyone else?

Everybody in my church loves this beautiful song...
 

U2 — Beautiful Day

Thanks for making my house cleaning a happy time, RP. :)

There's an image I'll always associate with this song. Don't laugh (oh, okay - go 'head and laugh), but it's from an episode of "Smallville." I don't remember the gory details, but at the end of the episode, Clark and Lana Lane were sitting at the top of the water tower, looking out over the green countryside. The sky was clear and achingly, beautifully blue, and this song was playing. 

Hard NOT to like it, with that kind of image.  But then, I love U2 anyway.

Sorry if I'm thick fellas, but I must have missed it in there somewhere.  So, did you DIG the song, or NOT dig the song?

..... I didn't want to suggest that tax-dodging isn't the lowest form of anti-social behaviour in the wealthy (a belief I personally hold). But as a soon-to-be-lawyer with an interest in tax law......

Fair point, which can lead into dense thickets, as you point out. I think that the usual legal position is that a corporation based in Country A pays taxes in Country A on its domestic and foreign earnings. This was certainly the case before multinationals became major world actors. However,  there are so many loopholes and tax dodges that that rarely happens these days - multinational corporations are expert at transferring earnings to, and declaring profits in, countries with low or no taxation.

If U2 were a standard pop franchise then there'd be no complaint about them acting to minimise taxation and maximise profits as other amoral corporations do. It's the moral stance that St Bonio takes on the duties of developed countries to cough up to developing and poor countries that turns U2's tax dodging into hypocrisy. A major rationale for developed countries to cough up is that much of their wealth (particularly nations with an imperial history) derives from the developing world so they should give something back. Well, U2's wealth derives plenty from their home nation and they should give something back to Ireland, particularly now that the place is broke. Hell, it's not as if they need the money - St Bonio and his mates must each have tens, if not hundreds of millions in their bank accounts, so they don't need to dodge taxes, and it's not as if Ireland is known as a high-taxation country. On the contrary, it gives out tax breaks like crazy (which is why, for instance, the film Braveheart was shot in Ireland rather than Scotland).

I'm curious, just playing Devil's Advocate here, but how much of U2's income was earned in Ireland, compared to their income earnings in the rest of the world?  And to what extent should the band be taxed for income earned outside of Ireland? And given that U2 are touring around the world pretty much all the time, is it fair to say that no one member of the band is even a resident of Ireland anymore?  And if they're no longer resident in Ireland, should they pay taxes in Ireland?

All of which is not to say that you're wrong, but all of the questions I've posed are hard questions, and reasonable people may disagree on the answers to the last two in particular. Tax law - and tax policy - is complicated, subtle stuff.
 

 Not everyone likes St Bonio and the Tax Dodgers.

wow, someone defending U2 by calling the opposition self indulgent??? have you even heard of U2 before? Bono invented self-indulgence.

The Magic of Bill - Perfect segway = Pogues - Sunny side of the street, to U2 = Beautiful Day....

Nineteen "1" votes? Uh, ever hear of Pandora?

I know lots of folks think U2 are gods... I am not one of those people!!!!

There's an image I'll always associate with this song. Don't laugh (oh, okay - go 'head and laugh), but it's from an episode of "Smallville." I don't remember the gory details, but at the end of the episode, Clark and Lana Lane were sitting at the top of the water tower, looking out over the green countryside. The sky was clear and achingly, beautifully blue, and this song was playing. 

Hard NOT to like it, with that kind of image.  But then, I love U2 anyway.

I know lots of folks think U2 are gods... I am not one of those people!!!!

There's an image I'll always associate with this song. Don't laugh (oh, okay - go 'head and laugh), but it's from an episode of "Smallville." I don't remember the gory details, but at the end of the episode, Clark and Lana Lane were sitting at the top of the water tower, looking out over the green countryside. The sky was clear and achingly, beautifully blue, and this song was playing. 
Hard NOT to like it, with that kind of image.  But then, I love U2 anyway.

agreed 
 

immediately uplifted...

I want Zipadeedoodah next, please.

The Magic of Bill - Perfect segway = Pogues - Sunny side of the street, to U2 = Beautiful Day....

The Magic of Bill - Perfect segway = Pogues - Sunny side of the street, to U2 = Beautiful Day....