“The saints are coming, the saints are coming, I say no matter how I try, I want less taxes even with the Irish Revenue Commission nearby” may be the lyrics that musician/philanthropist Bono is singing these days.

For the past ten years, Bono and his celebrity comrades have used their fame to promote goodwill and charity through events such as Live 8 and the recent Product (Red) campaign. With this exposure also comes some unwarranted attention to the U2 frontman’s most recent action.

Bono’s activism has reached such a height that he has asked the government of Ireland to donate more money to its Ireland Aid fund, which funds aid initiatives in the developing world. As any political science student could tell you, tax revenue would be the main source of this additional funding.

Ireland is considered to have a high level of poverty in comparison to its developed neighbours, yet the government still gives artists a break through a tax exemption. So the recent backlash against U2, after the band decided to move part of their music production empire to Amsterdam after Ireland imposed a ceiling of $319,000 (CDN) on tax-free incomes, is understandable.

But is the outrage against U2 warranted? The public expects a level of perfection from celebrities, so much so that any action that deviates from this “perfect image” is instantly criticized. Is it hypocritical for Bono to demand higher funding for Africa while avoiding the taxation imposed by Ireland-money that could end up in the Third World? In a way it is, but it is also human nature to want to minimize the taxes we pay.

As David “The Edge” Evans said, “Of course we’re trying to be tax-efficient. Who doesn’t want to be tax-efficient?” The Edge does not speak from a rich, pompous point of view, but rather expresses the ideas of the average taxpayer.

In an age of celebrity blogs, gossip rags, and entertainment shows, the limitations and humanity of would-be icons are made quite evident. From DUIs to kleptomania to tax evasion, stories of celebrity weakness seem to displace reports of any act of benevolence and charity they carry out. Yet society still expects perfection from them.

Outrage over hypocrisy is understandable, but it would be hypocritical for us to speak unless we have always been the model of ideal conduct ourselves.

So let’s give U2 a break. They are only human, after all.