Santander boss hits out at financial institution windfall taxes

Santander boss Ana Botín has hit out at windfall taxes on banks’ earnings as cash-strapped European governments contemplate raiding lenders which might be benefiting from rising rates of interest.

Because the eurozone’s third-largest financial institution, Santander could be one of many hardest hit below proposals by the Spanish authorities to boost €3bn from banks to cushion the influence of surging vitality costs.

International locations together with Hungary and the Czech Republic have already introduced additional taxes on banks to cut back the influence of vitality costs.

“Increased taxes needs to be the identical for all firms and . . . governments want to determine what’s the proper degree of taxes that basically permits sustainable progress and funding,” Botín, who’s government chair of the financial institution, stated in an interview for the Monetary Instances World Banking Summit.

She cited figures from the Spanish Banking Affiliation, which confirmed that if banks had been compelled to pay €3bn in taxes, it could scale back their lending capability by €50bn as a result of it could minimize the quantity of regulatory capital they may maintain in opposition to these loans.

“We want . . . sustainable progress, non-inflationary progress — and banks are basic in that equation,” she added. “That is what governments want to grasp.” 

The European Central Financial institution has additionally criticised Spain’s proposed windfall tax, saying it may harm financial institution capital positions, disrupt financial coverage and be tough to implement.

Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led coalition authorities plans to impose a 4.8 per cent tax on banks’ earnings from curiosity and commissions for 2 years, arguing that rising rates of interest are yielding “extraordinary” earnings for the sector.

Final month Santander reported an 11 per cent year-on-year improve in internet earnings to €2.42bn within the third quarter. Different European lenders have additionally reported bumper earnings because of rising rates of interest.

However Botín stated rising earnings had been an indication of a return to regular enterprise circumstances for banks after greater than a decade of low and unfavorable rates of interest.

“When there may be speak of extraordinary earnings, that’s not the case within the banking sector.

“That is excellent news — you want robust banks to have a robust economic system. For those who take a look at what the US economic system has accomplished over the previous 10 years in comparison with the UK and Europe normally, quite a lot of it’s really based mostly on [the US having] a really robust banking sector.” 

In his Autumn Assertion on Thursday, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt minimize the nation’s surcharge on financial institution earnings from 8 per cent to three per cent, which can come into place subsequent April alongside an increase in company tax from 19 per cent to 25 per cent.

Within the UK, banks will due to this fact pay an efficient charge of 28 per cent, 5 proportion factors lower than below the earlier plans, a transfer aimed toward bettering the Metropolis of London’s attractiveness following the turmoil of Brexit.