Revelations of tax avoidance aren’t new. Another is predictably unearthed before the last tips off the conveyor belt. However, there’s been a distinct ripple in the works following allegations that a series of high-profile British musicians, including Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys, have been using a scheme called Liberty, storing money offshore in Jersey. Had these been global corporations with byzantine tax arrangements, like Starbucks or Topshop, we might condemn them, but would we feel let down? Probably not. And the belt would keep on trudging along.
Musicians are meant to be different. Throughout history, political unrest or upheaval has been articulated and characterised by movements such as punk, and musicians like The Clash. Music is the product of counterculture and the working class, and those who voice our lives purport to do so with empathy. Or so we thought.
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