...a new one from the European Union. In a fresh attack on bankers' bonuses, the EU commissioner for financial regulation today said the size of payouts were a "good indicator" of a banks size and potential "pollutant" effect on the banking system, and should be considered when calculating a levy on banks to build a fund to finance to the orderly winding down of those that hit the skids.

Michel Barnier, whose pronouncements on levies to support the fund http://bit.ly/bnv6BL have been eagerly awaited by those who will have to pay, said that although banks' liabilities and assets were good indicators of their size and risk, "profits and bonuses as an indicator of a bank's size" were also a good measure, and reflective of the "'polluter pays' principle."