A proposal by the Dutch deputy prime minister Wouter Bos to crack down on golden handshakes might be adopted by other European countries. The finance ministers of the euro-zone countries say they will study the possibility of changing European laws so that golden handshakes can be taxed. It may not seem likely, but the ministers' apparent approval of Mr Bos' proposal is in any event surprising.

If all goes to plan, next year the Netherlands will be the first European country to levy a 30 percent tax on companies which give departing senior managers a golden handshake worth more than half a million euros.

The International Herald Tribune finds the proposal typically Dutch. The fact that senior managers such as Numico's Jan Bennink and ABN AMRO's Rijkman Groenink received a jackpot of tens of millions of euros when they had to leave is a thorn in the flesh of the "egalitarian Dutch", who place social equality above anything else.

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Mr Bos says this is nonsense:

"Everyone thinks something must be done about this issue. There are countless examples of countries where people are attempting to do something about the situation. The Netherlands is taking the lead, and in another five or ten years many countries will follow." In Brussels, the Dutch deputy prime minister received the support of Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg head of the group of 15 euro-zone countries. Mr Juncker says that the "excesses" which we are seeing in some countries are "scandalous". He says that taking measures are not only a question of "professional ethics" but also a job for the tax authorities.

Mr Juncker made the statement following calls for across the board restraints in wage increases within the euro-zone. He says the restraints are necessary in order to end recent rises in inflation. Luxembourg's prime minister said one couldn't expect European workers to show moderation in their demands for higher wages while senior managers are receiving enormous increases.

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