Activist group, Art Uncut, has planned a protest during U2′s performance at this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival in England. The group has not said exactly what actions they will take to make their point.
Most people looking for tax relief don’t have the liberty of selecting which country they want to pay taxes in. But in 1996 U2 went shopping around with the intention of moving their business affairs to a country with lower taxes, and they landed in the Netherlands. Art Uncut’s position is that this “tax dodging,” (by U2 and others) although not illegal, is causing poor countries like the band’s native Ireland to grow even poorer. Furthermore, it is their view that this move really undermines frontman Bono’s highly publicized campaigns aimed at reducing poverty in developing nations.
Interestingly, Forbes recently placed U2 at the very top of their list of highest paid musicians, earning $195 million over the relevant 12 month period.