Swiss FinMin against Tobin, bonus taxes - press
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BH24W20091218?type=swissMktRpt
* Dismisses one-off tax of 50 pct on bankers' bonuses
ZURICH, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Switzerland's finance minister is against introducing a "Tobin" style tax on financial transactions of specific one-off taxes on bankers' bonuses, he was quoted on Friday as saying.
When asked by Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft whether such taxes could be considered in Switzerland, Hans-Rudolf Merz said: "Absolutely not, as long as I am a member of the government, I guarantee you that."
The G20 group of leading countries asked the International Monetary Fund at a meeting in Scotland last month to come up with options by April for a possible transaction tax, "insurance" levy or resolution fund paid for by banks.
Merz -- who is also serving as Switzerland's president, a largely ceremonial role, until the end of the year, also dismissed the idea of a one-off levy of 50 percent on bankers' bonuses, as planned in Britain and France.
"I wonder about the French and British governments. They have not thought this through to the end," he was quoted as saying.
Switzerland's financial industry is dominated by its two largest banks, UBS -- which was hard hit by the financial crisis and had to accept government help -- and Credit Suisse. (Reporting by Sam Cage)