U2 Faces ‘Tax Dodge’ Protest At Glastonbury Fest

The group Art Uncut says it will unfurl banners and placards in front of TV cameras. Member Charlie Dewar said frontman Bono “is well known for his anti-poverty campaigning,” but has avoided paying Irish taxes at a time when the austerity-hit country desperately needs money.

Bono, guitarist The Edge and U2’s other members – bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen – are among Ireland’s wealthiest residents.

In 2006 the band moved its corporate base from Ireland to the Netherlands, where royalties on music incur virtually no tax.

U2 is headlining the first night of the three-day festival.

Some 170,000 people have descended on a farm in southwest England for the music extravaganza, which includes sets by Morrissey, Mumford & Sons, Coldplay, Beyoncé and scores of other acts.

Rubber boots are the fashion item of choice after heavy rain turned the 900 acre site into a mudbath. More rain is forecast for later Friday.