Mutiny On The Bounty
纳税人要求收回他们的钱，银行也愿意把钱还回去。但是他们能如愿吗？参众两院都拿出提案，打算对接受美国问题资产救助计划(TARP)大量贷款的公司所发放的奖金征收惩罚性税款。众议院提出的方案是，对总收入超过25万美元的个人得到的奖金征收90%的税。这一条款适用于2008年年底以来发放的奖金，这意味着华尔街机构发放的2008年年终奖基本将无一漏网。银行方面或许希望这个提案最后不了了之，但鉴于眼下人们实在是怒火难消，某种形式的奖金税法案可能获得通过。为逃避该项税负，已接受政府救助的银行或许会在美国联邦储备委员会(Fed，简称：美联储)允许的前提下归还救助资金──但在深度衰退时期，这种情况不太可能。许多银行需要这些资金。比如，如果富国银行(Wells Fargo)将它接受的250亿美元纳税人资金偿还给政府，则其一级资本比率将有可能降到6%以下，这个比例是监管机构设定的显示银行资本状况良好的一个标准。这将让银行陷入困境。对于某些银行来说，筹措新的私人资本来替代从救助计划得到的资金是不可能的事。而对其他一些银行来说，这样将导致股权收益被极度稀释。对银行来说，通过这样一个法案将使它们以奖金激励为核心的业务模式陷入混乱。它们只能指望参议院发点慈悲了。Peter Eavis相关阅读美众议院批准对AIG员工奖金课以重税的法案 2009-03-20美国银行今晚将交出获奖金的美林员工信息 2009-03-20AIG部分员工将返还奖金 2009-03-19房利美拟向高管支付不菲留职奖金 2009-03-19美国会通过法案授权司法部收回AIG所发奖金 2009-03-19奥巴马：我将对AIG奖金事件承担责任 2009-03-19 本文涉及股票或公司document.write (truthmeter('2009年03月20日11:36', 'UBS'));瑞士银行英文名称：UBS AG (ADS)总部地点：瑞士(Switzerland)上市地点：纽约证交所股票代码：UBSdocument.write (truthmeter('2009年03月20日11:36', 'GE'));通用电气公司英文名称：General Electric Co.总部地点：美国上市地点：纽约证交所股票代码：GEdocument.write (truthmeter('2009年03月20日11:36', 'GEX.XX'));General Electric Capital Corp.总部地点：美国document.write (truthmeter('2009年03月20日11:36', 'UBSN.VX'));瑞士银行英文名称：UBS AG总部地点：瑞士(Switzerland)上市地点：VTX股票代码：UBSN
Taxpayers are demanding their money back. Banks would like to give it back. But can they?Bills in the House and Senate aim to levy punitive taxes on bonuses paid at firms that have taken large amounts of TARP capital from the U.S.The House bill would slap a 90% tax on bonuses received by individuals who have more than $250,000 of gross income. It applies to payments since the end of 2008, which means they capture almost all Wall Street bonuses for last year.Banks might hope this goes away. But the high outrage levels suggest a bonus tax of some form could pass.To escape the tax, banks that have received government capital could pay it back if the Federal Reserve would let them -- unlikely in a deep recession. Many of them need that capital.For instance, Wells Fargo would likely have a Tier 1 capital ratio below 6% -- the level for regulators to consider a bank well-capitalized -- if it paid back its $25 billion of taxpayer money.That leaves the banks boxed in. Raising new private-equity capital to replace TARP money would be impossible for some, extremely dilutive for others.Yet, for banks, the passage of this bill would throw their bonus-focused business model into disarray. They can only hope the Senate shows some mercy.Peter Eavis
Taxpayers are demanding their money back. Banks would like to give it back. But can they?Bills in the House and Senate aim to levy punitive taxes on bonuses paid at firms that have taken large amounts of TARP capital from the U.S.The House bill would slap a 90% tax on bonuses received by individuals who have more than $250,000 of gross income. It applies to payments since the end of 2008, which means they capture almost all Wall Street bonuses for last year.Banks might hope this goes away. But the high outrage levels suggest a bonus tax of some form could pass.To escape the tax, banks that have received government capital could pay it back if the Federal Reserve would let them -- unlikely in a deep recession. Many of them need that capital.For instance, Wells Fargo would likely have a Tier 1 capital ratio below 6% -- the level for regulators to consider a bank well-capitalized -- if it paid back its $25 billion of taxpayer money.That leaves the banks boxed in. Raising new private-equity capital to replace TARP money would be impossible for some, extremely dilutive for others.Yet, for banks, the passage of this bill would throw their bonus-focused business model into disarray. They can only hope the Senate shows some mercy.Peter Eavis