Those wacky Europeans. They seem to think that big businesses should make an effort to show some public responsibility – or barring that, just a bit of respect for the peons. Yesterday, the British government announced that it would place a one-time 50 percent windfall tax on bankers’ bonuses that top 25,000 pounds (about $40,000). Or, as Salon’s “How the World Works” column’s Onion-esque headline put it, “Government announces a tax on exorbitantly paid bankers. American populists gnash their teeth in envy.”
Today, the French government announced it intends to follow suit, with a one-time tax forcing banks to pay a 50 percent tax on bonuses over 27,000 Euros. Bloomberg News came up with the sad-but-obvious headline, “U.S. Probably Will Avoid Matching U.K. 50% Bonus Tax,” which serves as another example of the underlying “business-friendly” government mentality that has resulted in Americans hurting more than Europeans in the current Great Recession due to our less effective social safety net.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2009.
Just another warped opinion by Frank Griffin. Who gives a damn what you think? We are so sick and tired of the trashy republicans. Boo hoo hoo…….my people lost the election and now I’m being taxed to make up for the Bush years. Boo hoo hoo. I lost. I’m mad. Stomp, stomp, whine, boo hoo! Now all you need is that Palin slut to wipe your nose!