Serial Tax Dodger Bob Geldoff Tells British Taxpayers

[laurejon]

One of the last noted stories concerns Bob Geldof, the rock star and Third World debt campaigner, who has been recently accused by newspapers of claiming Irish residency to avoid Inheritance Tax. Bob Geldof is an Irish citizen who is living in two properties in England. One of these properties, a luxury apartment in South London, is reported to be owned by a company called Quiet Ventures, the second one, located in Kent, is owned by Bandol Holdings. Both are offshore companies, registered in the British Virgin Islands but having London contact addresses.

LONDON, March 9 (Reuters Life!) - Investors should look past the dire images of poverty from Africa to see genuine opportunities, antipoverty campaigner Bob Geldof said on Monday, warning the global financial crisis would hurt the poorest worst.

Western investors as well as some African commentators and policymakers have long accused campaigners such as rock stars Geldof and Bono of effectively talking down Africa as they demand more aid for the world's poorest continent, effectively making it less appealing.

But speaking on the sidelines of a British government-backed conference in London, Geldof said the combination between Africa's natural resources and lack of infrastructure meant there was still money to be made, saying there was more to it than the "pornography of poverty."

"If you are going to invest in Africa I would hope you would do some analysis and get past the imagery of the stick people falling over and the apparently endless conflict," he told Reuters.

"There is less conflict in Africa now than there has been for ever. I would look at it as the sole continent on the planet which has yet to be built. I would look at the infrastructural opportunities and necessities -- the most functional analysis would tell you you are going to get a bang for your buck."

Geldof -- who has campaigned on poverty in Africa since the Ethiopian famine of the early 1980s -- said Europe's connections to Africa offered a way out from energy dependence on sometimes unfriendly oil suppliers such as Russia.

"COMPELLED TO AFRICA"

"Whether we like it or whether we don't we are compelled to Africa and vice versa," he said. "Overtures to the gas and oil fields of Libya, Algeria, Angola, Nigeria are well underway -- we will build our pipelines there. This interconnectivity to our continental neighbor is vast." Continued...

[Guest DissipatedYouthIsValuable]

Bob? Give us your ******ing money.

[Jason]

Laurejon, please provide a link when quoting articles!

http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMol...E52919T20090310

[Potwalloper]

Why would you pay tax again?

[Frank Hovis]

I don't pay for a TV licence, I'm doing my bit.

Evading tax is harder. I keep myself under the 40% taxable band, mainly with pension contributions, but I still have to pay some.

[interestrateripoff]

The rich don't pay tax, only the poor pay tax.

Has Bob donated many of his millions to help poverty or is he too busy telling us to fork out for it?

Just like Bono a to$$er.

[laurejon]

I guess Brown, Bono, and Blair will all be meeting up G20 for a cosy lunch and work out how they can fleece more money from British Taxpayers.

Its beyond belief that Bob Geldoff has the bare faced cheek to suggest we should be paying more. How about he puts some money into the Inland Revenue and we can help the needy at home ? Tax isnt just for Bankers you know.

[Potwalloper]

The rich don't pay tax, only the poor pay tax.

Rubbish Factually incorrect, I mean.

Has Bob donated many of his millions to help poverty or is he too busy telling us to fork out for it?

Just like Bono a to$er.

You don't know that's true and nor do I know it's not. But intuition tells me the nub is - you're jealous of 'his millions'.

[Guest UK Debt Slave]

I guess Brown, Bono, and Blair will all be meeting up G20 for a cosy lunch and work out how they can fleece more money from British Taxpayers.

Its beyond belief that Bob Geldoff has the bare faced cheek to suggest we should be paying more. How about he puts some money into the Inland Revenue and we can help the needy at home ? Tax isnt just for Bankers you know.

Rock stars are the ultimate champagne socialists aren't they? They expect us to cough up our hard earned wedge while they squirrel away their cash in an offshore tax haven.

Bono and Geldof deserve a good thorough kicking.

SLAGS

[Yonmon]

Bono is worse than Geldof.

Remember when Bono met Pope John Paul II and put shades on the dying pontiff for a laugh/photo-op.

Absolute scum.

[bootfair]

They use the platform of charidee to boost their own profiles, thus ensuring much free air time for their frankly low rate music, many more opportunities to meet the powerful politicians et al, and many more millions through increased sales....and then they are "honoured" for al this self-seeking publicity..

Rock stars are the ultimate champagne socialists aren't they? They expect us to cough up our hard earned wedge while they squirrel away their cash in an offshore tax haven.

Bono and Geldof deserve a good thorough kicking.

SLAGS

[Vagabond]

Rubbish Factually incorrect, I mean.

Or not, as the case may be..

You don't know that's true and nor do I know it's not. But intuition tells me the nub is - you're jealous of 'his millions'.

Or, maybe just a little bit peeved with people who are worth hundreds of millions telling us we should dip into our pockets. Doing the odd charity concert (And promoting your back-catalogue whilst doing so) doesn't quite give you the right to sainthood.

Edit - Beaten to it by Bootfair!

[sleepwello'nights]

I don't pay for a TV licence, I'm doing my bit.

Evading tax is harder. I keep myself under the 40% taxable band, mainly with pension contributions, but I still have to pay some.

How well are the pension providers investing your premiums. Even if you use SIPPS or similar wrappers how have they fared with recent market falls?

I'd prefer to keep 60% of the premiums and use it to live now rather than put it away to be eroded by high managemnt fees poor investment returns and inflation. But each to their own.

[AffordableHousing]

I heard that in the 90's in a "bizarre house switch that was part of the

divorce settlement between Geldof and Paula Yates,

in which she and Hutchence moved into Geldof's house".

Yates had to phone up Rentokil or some such company to get them to come round

and deal with a nasty flea infestation.

I'd have thought Bobs flea's would all have followed him when he moved out.

Poor old Bob's flea's. Left all on their own and exterminated.

He always did leave a trail of suffering and death behind him.

Geldof is a fake.

A total fake.

[tomwatkins]

I heard that in the 90's in a "bizarre house switch that was part of the

divorce settlement between Geldof and Paula Yates,

in which she and Hutchence moved into Geldof's house".

Yates had to phone up Rentokil or some such company to get them to come round

and deal with a nasty flea infestation.

I'd have thought Bobs flea's would all have followed him when he moved out.

Poor old Bob's flea's. Left all on their own and exterminated.

He always did leave a trail of suffering and death behind him.

Geldof is a fake.

A total fake.

Leave Bob alone-how would you like to drag that face around?

[Potwalloper]

Or not, as the case may be..

I rest my case. "don't pay as much tax as the revenue say you should" does not equal "pay no tax".

Or, maybe just a little bit peeved with people who are worth hundreds of millions telling us we should dip into our pockets. Doing the odd charity concert (And promoting your back-catalogue whilst doing so) doesn't quite give you the right to sainthood.

Edit - Beaten to it by Bootfair!

I am peeved at paying buckets of money in tax and watching most of it feeding our tumour of a government. Anybody who gets away with paying less is doing us all a service. As for the personalities - I've never rubbernecked at road acidents, so I don't know or care about the people mentioned.

[Frank Hovis]

How well are the pension providers investing your premiums. Even if you use SIPPS or similar wrappers how have they fared with recent market falls?

I'd prefer to keep 60% of the premiums and use it to live now rather than put it away to be eroded by high managemnt fees poor investment returns and inflation. But each to their own.

Badly!

But 40% tax relief in 20% tax paid out are good odds for me.

If buying things is your motivation for earning money then I agree, buy it and enjoy it now.

Personally what I want to buy is my own time and energy. As that's something I can't actually buy at the moment, because I'm trading it for money, I have no choice but to defer that consumption until I have accumulated sufficient money to "buy" it permanently.

[Privateer]

I'm not sure which is worse; his apparent tax dodging, or his obvious soap dodging.

I never give money to charities for Africa, largely because I've been there and seen firsthand that our attempts to prop up a little clone of our own unsustainable society in an environment far harsher than that which we are used to are actually making matters worse. We are doing with their lives what we did with our economy; defering smaller disasters until they combine into one vast, unstoppable cataclysm. Save one kid from starvation today and you condemn many more in the future.

[researchmug]

Comic relief - A load of wealthy celebs go off on an adventure of a lifetime. To climb a mountain, something that the only the wealthy and elite can afford to do. Ho much has the whole adventure cost the charity/bbc? from the training to the hotels and staff required.

And why did they do it? to raise money for charity, whilst raising their own profile and having ball of course and perhaps after a career of such sacrifice perhaps even an OBE.

So an old lady living off a tiny state pension watches these celebs and feels guilty then donates 10 percent of her weekly pension to the charity. In effect she only renders herself poorer and more of a charity case.

In a nutshell rich people (for their own dubious reasons) persuading poor people to give what little they have to even poorer people

[Bardon]

Ha Ha this has cleared my conscience of going to Live Aid and not paying a penny or donating either

[whojamaflip]

I'm not sure which is worse; his apparent tax dodging, or his obvious soap dodging.

I never give money to charities for Africa, largely because I've been there and seen firsthand that our attempts to prop up a little clone of our own unsustainable society in an environment far harsher than that which we are used to are actually making matters worse. We are doing with their lives what we did with our economy; defering smaller disasters until they combine into one vast, unstoppable cataclysm. Save one kid from starvation today and you condemn many more in the future.

+1

only going to such places do you see that 'not giving free medicine' is actually the better endgame. kids DO NOT DIE, but the parents, grandparents, cousins must fork out and therefore tell the parents to quit procreating.