Sigur Rós’ agent, Dean O’Connor, has commented on the band’s treatment of Iceland in the wake of their tax evasion scandal. RÚV reported yesterday afternoon.
He said that the band had never felt that their contribution had been valued in Iceland, adding that “they [Sigur Rós] have done so much to promote the country over the last twenty years, everyone can see. I think the authorities would not work hard if they could evaluate what the group has done. “
This was stated in an interview with Dean O’Connor, which was published on Music Business Worldwide Website. Here he emphasized that Sigur Rós’ band members had fully worked with the RSK investigation and have already paid back 150% of what they owed the Icelandic government in taxes. However, if they are found guilty of gross negligence with their taxes, this bill could be multiplied by 200% or more, but then their agent says “the boys would lose their homes.”
Dean O’Connor thinks that the punishment for Sigur Rós is more about the Icelandic government being exemplary than anything else. „[The Icelandic government] obviously want to give an example of Sigur Rós – if we get these guys to do things wrong, then everyone else should be warned. It is very aggressive; when you look at the great guilt you are talking about, they seem so arbitrary, so out of step with what [band have] actually done, “he said.
He blames the former auditor of the band and the fact that none of the professionals working around the band spoke Icelandic. “That’s the crux of the matter – we had an accountant who probably did not understand everything he needed to understand, and I am convinced that he was dealing with his own issues at the time.”
However, he believes that the chances of the band being found guilty of gross negligence are “very high” unless the system is changed from now until January. The double jeopardy in tax matters is being examined in Iceland after questions have been asked about its fairness, but since the system is yet to change, cases such as Sigur Rós are still being pursued.
The Grapevine last reported this case a month ago, when bassist Georg Holm complained that even though the band had done something wrong, they were now “going to court for the same thing.”
Source: The Nordic Page