Bono Admits He's Overpaid

U2 singer Bono has admitted he's been financially "over-rewarded" throughout his musical career.

But he's dismissed criticism that it's hypocritical for him to be crusading against poverty in the developing world when he's making millions of dollars at the same time.

"You can still contribute even if you are not as fortunate as I am," Bono told the U.K.'s Daily Mail tabloid.

"I've been blessed and I've been over-rewarded for what I do and I'm trying to give my time and resources but you know, I'm a rich rock star, so shoot me.

"I'm having a great life and even though I can be a pain in the ass going on about all this stuff, the band feel strongly about it, too."

It's no secret that Bono is an in-your-face kind of guy when you get him on the subject of international development and aid. To a certain extent, I can appreciate his sentiments, but damn is this guy misguided.

In his recently launched Lace Up Save Lives campaign, a joint effort between Nike and his co-founded (RED) brand, Bono announced that he wasn't looking for people to dig into their pockets, but rather into those of the big corporations like Gap, Apple and Dell that are supporting the campaign.

"With this campaign, I'm not asking people to put their hands in their pockets. I’m asking them to put the hands in the pockets of the companies like Apple and I'm not sure people really get that," he told the Daily Mail.

What is there to get about it? You want people to spend more money buying a "sponsored product" from one of these companies so that a small portion can be donated, rather than just donating what you can afford. How does that make any sense?

And isn't the whole point of charity that you aren't getting something out of it other than satisfaction of knowing you helped someone?

Bono's logic is coming under a lot of fire lately. According to the U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper, he was recently criticized by aid organization Oxfam because U2 moved their business to the Netherlands where there is virtually no tax on royalties. Oxfam claims this move "deprived Ireland of revenue and the government then cut its overseas aid budget."

The Telegraph reports U2 moved their assets after the Irish government introduced a cap of €250,000 (about $398,000 Canadian) on tax-free incomes for artists. Rather than paying out the multi-million tax bill, they moved and saved themselves nearly $26 million Canadian.

He answered those criticisms with that quote about being a "rich rock star."

You can see U2 here:

June 6-7 Anaheim, CA @ Angel Stadium
June 12 Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
June 16 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Coliseum
June 20 Seattle, WA @ Qwest Field
June 23 Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
June 27 Minneapolis, MN @ TCF Bank Stadium
June 30 East Lansing, MI @ Spartan Stadium
July 3 Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
July 6 Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
July 9 Miami, FL @ Land Shark Stadium
July 12 Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
July 16-17 Montreal, QC @ Montreal Hippodrome
July 19 New York, NY @ New Meadowlands Stadium
Aug. 6 Turin, Italy @ Stadio Olimpico
Aug. 10 Frankfurt, Germany @ Commerzbank Arena
Aug. 12 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Stadium
Aug. 15-16 Horsens, Denmark @ Casa Arena
Aug. 20-21 Helsinki, Finland @ Olympic Stadium
Aug. 25 Moscow, Russia @ Luzhniki
Aug. 30 Vienna, Austria @ Ernst Happel Stadium
Sept. 3 Athens, Greece @ Olympic Stadium
Sept. 6 Istanbul, Turkey @ Ataturk Olympic Stadium
Sept. 15 Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
Sept. 18 Paris, France @ Stade De France
Sept. 22-23 Brussels, Belgium @ Stade Roi Boudoin
Sept. 26 San Sebastian, Spain @ Anoeta Stadium
Sept. 29 Seville, Spain @ Olympic Stadium
Oct. 2-3 Coimbra, Portugal @ Estadio Cidade Coimbra
Oct. 8 Rome, Italy @ Olympic Stadium