Govt to refund VAT on Live Aid DVDs
The VAT paid on sales of the new Live Aid DVD will be refunded to support the work of the charity in Africa, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed today.
He told the Dáil the Government would make a donation to the Band Aid trust equal to the tax paid on every sale of the recording from the momentous 1985 concert.
“The House shares an admiration of Bob Geldof for his continuing hard work in the third world,” he said. “It is an important and valuable contribution that inspires young people.”
The move comes after British Chancellor Gordon Brown made a similar announcement, releasing all tax accrued on sales of the newly-released DVD.
Live Aid organiser Bob Geldolf called on governments around the world to make the money available to help those in dire need in Africa.
He said: “No government should take money from the mouths of the hungry. Put pressure on your politicians to make that money available for those who really need it.”
Fianna Fáil TD Barry Andrews and Labour’s finance spokesperson Joan Burton had called on Finance Minister Brian Cowen to follow the British example.
Mr Andrews said that by returning the VAT from the sales of the DVD, the Government would boost Band Aid’s takings in Ireland by over 20%.
The show was watched by over 1.5 billion people worldwide on July 13, 1985 and raised $140m (€108.3m) towards famine relief.
When the original Band Aid single went on sale in 1984 all proceeds were donated to the aid operation in Ethiopia.
A new version of the single, Do They Know It’s Christmas?, featuring artists including Coldplay, Travis and Busted, has been widely tipped to take the Christmas number one slot.
