AIG's 2008 Bonus Pool Rises to $454M

Bill being rushed through would slap 90% tax on bonuses at bailed-out firms

(NEWSER) - The House will vote today on a hastily crafted bill to claw back bonuses from executives at AIG and other bailed-out firms, reports the Hill. The bill, drawn up by Democratic tax experts, slaps a 90% tax on bonuses over $250,000 at firms that received $5 billion or more in federal aid. The House Judiciary Committee is racing to complete another bill allowing the Justice Department to target the bonuses as “excessive payments.” More»

Big finance could face populist pitchforks

(NEWSER) - Bailed-out Wall Street execs handing themselves hefty bonuses this month should prepare for outrage not only from Dems inside the Beltway but from tea partiers, who hold their first convention in Nashville next month. The rage that has been focused on big government and health care reform could easily swing toward Wall Street, Gerald Seib writes in the Wall Street Journal . More»

Lawmakers likely to let special tax die, with the nod from Obama

(NEWSER) - With populist outrage cooling and the White House even cooler, the 90% AIG bonus tax that sailed through the House last week is stalled in the Senate, where it's likely to die, reports Bloomberg. Majority Leader Harry Reid said yesterday this week will be devoted to debating national service and the budget—with Congress taking spring break in just two weeks, that pushes the tax bill into late April. More»

(NEWSER) - All the hubbub around AIG and its bonuses is “a complete farce,” Larry Kudlow writes in the National Review. No one should be surprised that those in charge have “completely bungled” the situation. “The government shouldn’t run anything, because it cannot run anything,” Kudlow writes. And the Obama administration was “undoubtedly informed” about the bonuses months ago. More»

(NEWSER) - The Senate agreed to let loose the remaining TARP funds today by a relatively slim margin, the Hill reports. The 52-42 vote means Obama should have access to the $350 billion about a week after he takes office. The House hasn't voted yet, but the TARP legislation requires only one chamber to approve the money, the Wall Street Journal notes. More»