Trouble at the Bank

Dear Mumsie,

Rather unfortunate news today. Apparently, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has seen seen fit to rob Muffin and Todd of their very special Christmas this year ( according to The Telegraph). Last year had been such a tough slog, had it not, and now that the bank was just getting back on track, I was expecting a rather sizeable down payment on life, shall we say. The lake season had finished and I had such a fine holiday planned!

There is a little wrinkle in my plans, due to Mr. Darling's insistence on taxing my bonus before it leaves the bank. This will affect all bonses of more than £25,000 and it will be applied to all banks operating in the UK, including foreign banks. And, as you well know, I was to get considerably more than that 25,000!

I calm myself with the knowledge that I am far from alone. In fact, this new one time tax will affect about 20,000 people, poor sods. All this in a shabby effort to play to the voters who insist bankers are paid too much. (The public has never been quite right since the British government provided more than £1 trillion pounds to prop up the banks during last year's credit crisis, has it?)

Well, the chit chat around the water cooler was really fine today. One American fellow, who thought he had died and gone to heaven when he was hired in London two years ago, was on the telephone today making arrangements for a transfer to Wisconsin.

As for me, I know I must be chin up and know that bonuses can be deferred and so forth, but still I dread the moment when I must confront our toddlers and try to explain that they will not be going on the private jet to the private villa this year. Perhaps worst of all, they will not have the opportunity to see all of their friends! And that is why Mr. Darling has me so ticked off. It is simply unfair to little children!

Your loving son,

Roger