Lunchtime Links: Asian bank said to have paid two years' worth of bonuses in advance

This may just be a crazy rumour doing the rounds in advance of the increasingly imminent PBR speech, but it's been reported in both the Times and the Telegraph.

Both report that an unnamed Asian bank has endeavoured to sidestep the windfall tax on bonuses by paying two years' worth of bonuses in the past two weeks. It's not entirely clear which bank this is true, or a figment of journalistic fantasy. One Lehman banker says he hasn't heard anything about it (but wishes he has). Another banker at another Japanese firm says he's heard about it either.

The bonus tax will be applied to bonus pools made up of bonuses worth more than 10k. (Pestowire)

The bonus tax will be applied to bonus pools made up of bonuses worth more than 25k. (Sky)

The financial services sector already contributes 12.5% to the UK's tax take. (City of London)

70% of bonuses already go to the Treasury once income tax, national insurance and VAT on the goods and services bought with them have been taken into account. (Financial Times)

Mandelson - bonus tax is not designed to teach bankers a lesson. (Guardian)

For the foreign banks, it would be entirely straightforward to make UK-based non-doms employees of a non-UK group entity to which it booked all relevant trades. (Financial Times)

Barclays and HSBC tried (and failed) to agree to restrain pay voluntarily. (Telegraph)

$40m bonus pool for RBS Sempra Commodities. (The Times)

Nomura has no intention of extending its bonus guarantees to Lehman staff. (Financial Times)

The UK government will throw its weight behind two big ideas - an "insurance" levy on banks and a Tobin tax on financial transactions. (Guardian)