France may tax bankers' bonuses

PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is considering a tax on 2009 banker bonuses exceeding 27,000 euros ($39,800), following UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown move to impose a one-off levy in the UK, said two French government officials.

The banks would pay the charge, though the amount hasn't been determined, said the officials, who declined to be named because they're not authorized to speak to the press. Tax cuts passed under Sarkozy limit French households' total tax payments to 50 percent of income.

Sarkozy and Brown have joined forces to push for a "new global consensus" to regulate "opaque" markets.