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Britain raises levy on banks again

Wednesday, March 20 16:16:05

Britain is increasing the rate of a tax on banks' balance sheets for the sixth time since it was introduced in 2011, aiming to ensure lenders don't benefit from reductions in corporation tax.

In his annual budget statement, Finance Minister George Osborne said the hike would ensure banks make a fair contribution and "reflected the risks they pose to the financial system and the wider economy".

The finance ministry said the rate would increase to 0.142 percent from Jan. 1, 2014. It had already announced in December that the rate for 2013 would rise to 0.13 percent on UK-based lenders, whose ranks include Lloyds, Barclays, RBS and HSBC.

Britain has not made as much as it hoped from the levy, despite the rate rising by over 80 percent since 2011, because banks have been shedding assets in order to bolster their finances and meet tougher regulatory requirements.

When the levy was introduced in 2011, the government said it expected to raise about 2.5 billion pounds a year by 2012-13.

However, according to forecasts from the UK's budget watchdog, it now anticipates raising just 1.6 billion this year. It made 1.8 billion in the 2011-12 fiscal year.

Critics say the levy is damaging London's standing as a financial centre and discouraging banks from lending at a time when the government is desperately trying to make funds available to small businesses and homebuyers.

"This is a major cost for banks operating in the UK and is not a good advert for the City of London's competitiveness as a global financial centre, particularly at a time when this is already under threat from other quarters," said Matthew Barling, banking tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts the government will raise 2.7 billion from the levy in 2013-14 and 2.9 billion a year thereafter. Reuters