UK Banks Brace for Possible Tax Rise as Budget Nears

Barclays and HSBC buildings are seen in London, Britain October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

UK-based banks are stepping up lobbying efforts against possible tax hikes in the government's inaugural Budget on October 30, amid mounting worries it may tap the cash-rich sector to boost Britain's finances, senior industry sources told Reuters.
Finance minister Rachel Reeves is due to meet senior representatives of the banking sector in the coming days, where bankers expect a rise in taxes on lenders' profits will be discussed, two of the sources said.
So far neither Prime Minister Keir Starmer nor Reeves has said banks will be required to pay higher taxes, but Starmer's recent reference to the burden falling on those with “broader shoulders” has fueled concerns a policy change might be imminent, three sources said.
The sources, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said they anticipate the Treasury will seek to hike taxes by increasing an existing surcharge on profits that lenders already pay.
This plan would be easier for the finance minister to achieve than cutting the amount of interest UK banks earn on reserves parked at the Bank of England, a measure which could distort the effects of its monetary policy, the sources said.
HSBC, Britain's largest bank, posted a 78% rise in 2023 pretax profit to $30.3 billion pounds in February and domestic peers including NatWest Group and Barclays have posted similarly bumper returns.
According to the sources, UK banks are already taxed more aggressively than many other international rivals, and increasing the sector's costs via taxes could have an impact on the cost and availability of credit, the sources said.
The existing UK bank levy was introduced in 2011 to curb a crisis-era culture of excessive risk and reckless growth across the industry in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Shares in UK banks dipped briefly last week after the Financial Times quoted an unnamed former government official making the case for a “sensibly crafted” levy on banks that have enjoyed bumper profits on the back of higher interest rates.