Thursday, 19 March 2009

US House Passes Bill to Tax Bailout Bonuses

Reblogged from Chuck via SoupSoup

The House voted 328-93 to approve a bill imposing 90% taxes on employee bonuses from firms bailed out by taxpayers.

The bill would tax bonuses paid by firms that received more than $5 billion from the TARP. The Senate is working on its own plan to try to recoup bonuses.

Half of me thinks this is great news, the other half thinks we’ve officially gone off the deep end.

It’s very rare that one gets to write the words ‘Bill of Attainder’ but that is exactly what this is – a law that is directed a specific group of people.

Now, I’m no US Constitutional scholar, but it says in pretty clearly in Section 1, Article 9, Clause 3 ‘No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.’ This law is both.

I’m betting that they eventually keep their dosh.