Madam, - Your Editorial of September 27th rightly says it is deplorable that the world is well behind in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to halve world poverty by 2015. But surely that is no surprise given that the achievement of these targets requires enormous amounts of tax revenue which is becoming more and more difficult to raise.
Bono, who again this week was quoted in The Irish Timestalking about this country's "moral force" in the battle against hunger, actually moved U2's business out of Ireland to avoid tax. Indeed, at a time when Irish tax revenue has collapsed, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs is hinting that the aid budget will be cut again next year, it truly beggars belief that the Government does not challenge Bono to move U2's publishing empire back to Ireland to pay tax.
Anyone who sets himself up as a campaigner advocating how large amounts of ordinary taxpayers' money should be spent must be called to account for himself when he gives the impression, through his aggressive offshore tax strategy, that he appears to believe that "taxes are for little people". Failure to do so will only ensure that this form of anti-social behaviour, practised by more and more of the super-rich, will become even more socially acceptable. The result will be still less tax revenue not only to meet the Millennium Development Goals, but also to pay nurses, doctors, teachers and gardaí and to provide for the increasing cost of the social safety net to protect the most vulnerable. - Yours, etc,
RONAN TYNAN,
Booterstown,
Co. Dublin.
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Madam, - I read in the Financial Timesthat Bono, patron saint of tax exiles, is again preaching about governments' obligation to meet the aid donation level of 0.7 per cent of GDP. Perhaps if Bono and his ilk paid their fair share of tax the governments would actually have the money to donate.
It's time for this hypocrite to get off the stage. - Yours, etc,
CHARLES McLAUGHLIN.
Dublin 8.