The IMF has proposed two new global taxes on banks and other financial institutions to cover the cost of future bailouts, the BBC reported.
The measures would see all institutions pay a bank levy as well as a further tax on profits and pay, which would aim to protect against future financial meltdown, the broadcaster said on Tuesday, citing a leaked IMF report.
Governments of the G20 advanced and developing countries — which account for more than 85 percent of the global economy — received the documents on Tuesday, the BBC said.
Finance ministers would discuss the proposals this weekend, it said.
Insurers, hedge funds and other financial institutions would also be required to pay the taxes under the IMF proposals, despite the fact they were less implicated in the recent financial crisis.
This was to prevent banks reclassifying activities they currently carry out as other services — such as insurance or hedge-fund services — in an effort to avoid the levy.
The general levy, called the “financial stability contribution,” would start at a flat rate but would eventually be changed so businesses judged to be riskier paid more, said the broadcaster. Several proposals have been put forward by different governments to cover the costs of future economic rescue packages, including a tax on financial transactions.
But many have been reluctant to unilaterally introduce taxes to pay for future bailouts, believing coordinated action is the only option.
If governments acted alone, it is feared that institutions would simply move their operations to places with less stringent financial regulation.
The IMF report, which will form the basis of a submission to the G20 summit in June, states international cooperation in the introduction of the new levies would be “beneficial.”
Britain has been pressing for the introduction of a global bank tax, and British Finance Minister Alistair Darling welcomed the contents of the leaked IMF proposals.
“The recognition that banks should make a contribution to the society in which they operate is right,” he said.
Meanwhile, Europe’s debt crisis is sending investors flocking to the emerging markets of Brazil, China and India, the IMF said on Tuesday.
In a report on the state of the global economy, the IMF said the debt crisis in Greece and other eurozone nations had caused investors to look to emerging nations for profit.
“The crisis has altered perceptions about risk and return in mature [markets] relative to emerging markets,” the IMF report said.
“Capital is flowing to Asia [excluding Japan] and Latin America, attracted by strong growth prospects, appreciating currencies, and rising asset prices, and pushed by low interest rates in major advanced economies, as risk appetite continues to recover,” the IMF said.
Separately, a mission of EU and IMF officials began talks with Greece’s finance minister yesterday on details of an emergency loan mechanism to help the country face its rising borrowing costs.
The officials from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF made no statements as the talks began, a reporter at the finance ministry said.
They are expected to spend around 10 days discussing the technical aspects of the loan.
“The discussions concern a three-year programme of economic policies ... which can be supported with financial assistance from eurozone members and the International Monetary Fund should Greek authorities decide to request the activation of the mechanism,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to