Burnham urged to increase tax on banks as Barclays’ profits soar

TUC says lender ‘can easily afford to pay more tax’ as it increases half-year bonus pool by nearly 30%

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Andy Burnham has been urged to launch a tax raid on UK banks, as Barclays revealed a 30% increase in its half-year bonus pool after a rise in profits.

Fresh corporate filings released on Tuesday showed the bank put £1.3bn towards its bonus pool for the first half of the year. That figure, which includes annual and deferred bonuses, was up from £1bn last year.