City bankers are to reap nearly £7bn in bonuses this spring even though the government has been forced to pump tens of billions into the banks to prevent them collapsing.
From the Guardian:
City bankers are to reap nearly £7bn in bonuses this spring even though the government has been forced to pump tens of billions into the banks to prevent them collapsing.
Analysis of preliminary pay data from the Office for National Statistics shows that in the first three months of the bonus season to February the financial sector has shared out £5bn in bonuses, half the level of the same period last year.
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Extrapolating that to the full five months of the bonus season to April means payouts will be between £6.5bn and £7bn, compared with £13.7bn last year.
“These figures are alarming and show a complete lack of awareness in the City of the extent of the financial crisis, their role in creating it and the extent to which they are ultimately answerable to the taxpayer,” said the Liberal Democrats’ Treasury spokesman, Vince Cable.
“It would be outrageous if taxpayer-supported institutions are handing out large bonuses, particularly at a time when hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs.”
To read the full story, visit guardian.co.uk
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