Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bonus Tax Trade Letter
Bonus Tax Trade Letter
The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Minority Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
522 Hart Senate Office Building 361‐A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Max Baucus The Honorable Charles Grassley
Chairman Ranking Member
Committee on Finance Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building 219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Reid, McConnell, Baucus, and Grassley:
The undersigned trade associations oppose legislation that would undermine efforts to
stabilize the financial system by imposing punitive taxes on hundreds of thousands of
American workers employed by firms participating in the Troubled Asset Relief Program
(TARP). Although we understand the public outrage resulting from AIG bonus
payments, the legislation before the Senate is an extreme response that will delay the
economic recovery by undermining the effectiveness of programs created to restore the
flow of credit.
Congress understandably holds as its highest priority the mandate to protect taxpayers’
investment in firms receiving federal funds. We strongly agree that taxpayer dollars
must be used wisely to restore the public’s trust and to ensure the success of the TARP
and other federal programs. We are committed to working with Congress to reform
compensation practices and ensure proper oversight of the TARP.
However, H.R. 1586 and S. 651 do not provide for oversight of taxpayer funds. Rather,
these bills represent an unprecedented effort by the federal government to punish
hundreds of thousands of employees by imposing confiscatory taxes on contractually
guaranteed compensation for work performed over the past year.
We urge Congress to carefully consider the economic impact of these restrictions. The
retroactive imposition of such severe penalties will result in institutions repaying
government funds and exiting the TARP, thereby draining billions of dollars of capital
from the financial system and billions more in new loans. Moreover, retroactively
moving the goalposts sends an ominous signal to institutions that are considering
participation in the government’s new foreclosure mitigation programs, including the
Term Asset‐Backed Securities Loan Facility and the newly‐announced Public Private
Partnership Investment Program.
These programs were designed to stabilize the financial system, restore the flow of
credit and assist homeowners. Their success depends on broad participation by
financial institutions and businesses with private capital. The proposed legislation will
undoubtedly discourage participation in these programs and undermine their
effectiveness.
We urge you to oppose the pending legislation. Punishing hundreds of thousands of
workers with taxes of up to 90 percent will not improve TARP oversight or address
broader concerns about compensation practices. Rather, it will have the unintended
consequence of undermining programs aimed at bolstering consumer credit and
stabilizing the economy.
American Bankers Association
American Financial Services Association
Financial Services Forum
Financial Services Roundtable
Mortgage Bankers Association
Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association