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U2 HAVE COME under fire recently for their approach to paying tax – so when guitarist The Edge read a letter in a US newspaper he didn’t like, he decided to let them know.
Using his band moniker, he wrote a letter to the Baltimore Sun in response to a letter to the editor.
That letter was titled ‘Senator Cardin’s affection for Bono’s foundation is indefensible’, and was carried in the Sun’s 7 July issue.
The letter, written by Simon Moroney, was described by The Edge as containing “so many inaccuracies that it is pointless to attempt to correct them all”.
The Edge (whose real name is David Evans) said that all the members of U2, and the band itself, have a “totally clean record with every jurisdiction to which they are required to pay tax and have never been and will never be involved in tax evasion”.
Moroney’s claimed in his letter that Bono “exemplifies the worst characteristics of Wall Street”, both for excess and tax evasion.
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Robert Troy will disappear for a few months and be back on the gravy train once this blows over, no one ever held to account in this country,politicians above the law and always will be.
@Shane Dempsey: He literally even said as much on his resignation statement: “I look forward to being in a position to serve in Government again one day”.
No accountability whatsoever.
@Rochelle: Who is voting in these muppets…
@Shane Dempsey: or they get a cushy number in the Senate…absolute mockery.
@Paddy Kavanagh: knuckle draggers.
TDs, Senators, as lawmakers should have to declare all pre tax profits from rental income.
I think this is completely missing the point. TD’s should not be allowed to rent or sell to the state, it’s a complete conflict of interest.
No one should be allowed to hold 11 homes, not a person or company.
And then to go on and lease them at higher profiteering prices than the mortgage is just wage theft from theses lazy jobless landlords.
@Dean: I’ll be asking any politicians coming to my door how many properties they own, more than 1 the door will slammed in their face.
Well that’s stating the bleeding obvious..
Stop voting fffg
@James Delaney: Have you seen the alternative
@James Delaney: Have you seen the alternative
@Tim Quigley: have you seen what they can do if they were in control? Have they ran the country in to the ground? Have you seen how they would handle the homeless crisis, hospital crisis, energy and fuel crisis? If you have can you pass on the euro millions numbers too while you answer my questions please and thank you.
@Tim Quigley: havent seen anyone else leading goverment only ff fg thats all,look at the state of our health housing homeless ect ect ect that ff fg have us in, so whatevers coming nxt cant be as bad as these shysters ,first thing any new government would have to do is clean up this mess that ff fg have gotten this country into ,a disaster absolute disaster ,.have you seen the state this place in now timmy ,wake up man,wake up…alternative no ,its damm well a necessity to get these gangsters out of office …
@Tim Quigley: We have lived long enough under FFG who’s only interest is persevering the status quo.
@Tim Quigley: C’mon now Tim, we are so lucky to have a viable alternative when you consider how FF/FG have abused their power from the inception of the state to date. The country is falling apart and your argument is to shun the main opposition on the basis of nothing?
@Tim Quigley: no ,we’ve always been screwed by a version of this lot since the state began time for change
@Tim Quigley: have u seen the state of our country’s services? I’m looking forward to seeing what the alternative can do , why we keep blindly following fffg is beyond me at this stage.
Three more probes for Minister Eamon Ryan. 1. The closing down of our sugar beet industry with consequent loss of jobs and bonanza for other EU countries. 2. Closing down of our briquette industry with same loss of jobs and bonanza for other EU countries. 3. The giveaway of our fishing waters to other EU countries with consequent restrictions and loss of jobs in our fishing industry. Is anyone responsible for the disgraceful decisions made in our seats of power.
With all the (Lessons) the FFG / Green government have learned? Since they formed a government, seems the( Lessons ) they allegedly Learned have been a complete waste. They stumble from one scandal to another. The three ring circus continues.
No TDs should be permitted to rent any property …..to do so makes them very partial in any rent control legislation to protect their interests…
The country is in bits and everyone just moans. If this wss France there would be riots until changes are made. Govt are a complete pack of shams that do everything for their own interests and not the people who voted them in.
Mary Lou Very Quite about her TD
@pat seery: Yeah look over there, Sinn Fein. This has absolutely nothing to do with them. There are so many unanswered questions here around purchasing from CAB, selling to the council and more.
@pat seery: You and those like you are the reason we get the likes of these chancers.
@pat seery: Well by your logic Michael Martin should step a side because he did nothing but support Troy. You absolute plonker. Take a bow as you need a kick…
Comments will close on this article before the day is out …….watch .
Sound bite central…lessons have been learned has turned in to there has been learnings. It’s genuinely turned in to a shite comedy show.
They should have to declare the number of properties they rent and their rental income before they speak in any debate on housing or anything related. And they shouldn’t have a vote on any legislation because its a clear conflict of interest. Additionally their statement re the number of rental properties and their income should be aired any time any their quotes are aired! Nothing massive just something like “I’m a landlord of Y properties and I make X€ annually in rental income. And I think landlords should have greater protections” That’s transparency (IMO)
For bagpuss to say he didn’t know what Troy was doing just doesn’t sit right, through one thing or another they’re all into something questionable, it’s been that way since the they first got into power. Joke
Why are the comments on Sinn Fein TD closed after his non disclosure of rent payments via PRTB.
Shinners no different to the rest.
@Tim Quigley: SF. TD should be held to account the same as Troy. As for comments closed the journal earlier allowed comments. Wonder did you ask the same question regarding comments closed by the Journal concerning Troy. I earlier posted a comment asking why comments were allowed concerning Johnny Guirke and Comment section concerning Robert Troy was closed. Not for a second defending the above, but a level playing field ,and not self censorship from the journal.
In normal times I would have no problem with TDs owning properties but in a housing and rental crisis it is a serious problem. The fact that there is a housing crisis suggests that the people making laws and policies do in fact have a conflict of interests.
Fat cat.
No td landlord should be allowed voting on housing
The inconsistencies here are weird. Everyone wants easily available properties to rent and are horrified, astonished, astounded, disgusted, abhorred, depressed, furious, etc, that there is a short supply.
Yet when a landlord who happens to be a TD and is offering 11 families accommodation there is absolute uproar. There seems to be hypocrisy of the part of left leaning politicians who provide no direct accommodation on a personal level to help the homelessness crisis other than words and policies.
There is a very popular narrative in the media that seems to be landlords are really bad people and should be ashamed of themselves. The tax system is very punitive for small landlords who only wanted to have a pension for themselves. And is very lucrative for pension funds and wealthy people.
Unless we want a socialist system of state providing everything where council houses are built, we need to look at the sheer inequality of the tax system in the rental market. That is the real problem. Of course build more council houses too.
Is there anything, I mean anything this mob can get right except their allowances and pensions.
New political party on the block:
ARG, the new green left.
Stop voting the same people in!
have your say