Associated Press
BRUSSELS -- European leaders ganged up against fat bonuses to bailed-out bankers Thursday, hoping to create a groundswell of support from around the globe.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed it was a good idea to slap higher taxes on performance pay, especially considering they are back on the rise soon after last year's financial meltdown that led to taxpayer-funded bailouts in some cases. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also embraced the idea.
Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs the group of nations using the euro, also said most EU nations were in favor of some kind of tax limit for bank bonuses.
"The debate in the international community will move forward," said Brown after talks with Sarkozy and a joint editorial in the Wall Street Journal, where they said that "a one-off tax in relation to bonuses should be considered a priority."
Brown's government on Wednesday said it would impose a one-time 50 percent tax on 2009 bonuses above 25,000 pounds ($40,800), and Brown said Sarkozy made a similar commitment.
