These are obvious loopholes that should have been closed years ago. The private equity sham is just that, privatising a company, screwing the pension scheme, firing half the staff and then pretending that profits have suddenly gone through the roof, then dumping the stock back on the public market for some sucker to buy, just so half a dozen executives can walk away with £100million each is patently a nonsense. The taxpayer has to pick up extra pensions and unemployment costs, so why shouldn't the private equity gravy train pay its way? Tax them until they act responsibly.

phil, london, uk

Wow Great start for Gordon brown - Singapore, Hongkong, Dubai, Luxembourg , New York ... are all waiting from him to make this change so that they can take the deals away from the UK. In Economics 101 , they teach a simple concept called the multiplier effect - If the private equity "fat cats' make a huge amount of money, and if they live in the uk, the money gets plowed back into the economy and has a 100 X effect on GDP. This generates a bigger benefit for the cleaners than any tax revenue

Sanjay Khanna, singapore,

I agree with Paul and Chantel. For London to remain competitive the "carried interest " must remain subject to capital gains tax. American investors will also be rubbing their hands!

David Ellis, Atlanta, USA

Wow Great start for Gordon brown - Singapore, Hongkong, Dubai, Luxembourg , New York ... are all waiting from him to make this change so that they can take the deals away from the UK. In Economics 101 , they teach a simple concept called the multiplier effect - If the private equity "fat cats' make a huge amount of money, and if they live in the uk, the money gets plowed back into the economy and has a 100 X effect on GDP. This generates a bigger benefit for the cleaners than any tax revenue

Sanjay Khanna, london,

Greater risks should equal greater rewards because they also equal the chance of a greater loss. Take away the benefits of taking a risk and people and companies WILL NOT do it!! It would help if people thought a little further than their noses!

Chantel, UK,

Brilliant, the Unions demands and the labours concessions forced manufacturing out of this country, so the private sector finds another way for the UK to be succesful, in the financial sector and they aim to undermine that too.

A superb strategy, I bet Shanghai, NY, Dubai etc are loving this latest self destructive development from the Labour Party.

Paul, London,

What is needed is a level playing field between listed and private equity and the tax treatment of directors and employees. The scales have been tilted too far in privat e equity's favour, as a result of which a large share of the economy is being privatised in the wrong manner. We are in danger of slipping back into the days of the robber barons - and that can only lead to an eventual backlash, the first signs of which are becoming apparent.

The whole of the capital gains tax`regime in the UK needds a thorough going over. The 40 percent rate paid by most is too high internationally and the 10 percent rate paid by private equity participants too low. Why not meet at the new 20 percent basic income tax rate?

William Thomson, Guildford, UK

Gordon Brown and Tax rise? Anyone surprised?

The hypocrisy strikes again... Ronnie Cohen of Apax who has made millions from the private equity industry has been lining the labour partys pockets for many years

Damian, London, UK

"Cleaners in the UK" will no doubt be delighted to learn their jobs have moved overseas. But nothing new here, this is the UK.

John , New York, USA