Newflash: the UK government has launched a leak inquiry into how the media reported details of its bank tax hours before last month’s budget. James Bowler, Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, has told parliament’s Treasury Committee that a probe is underway. This inquiry will, presumably, examine how Bloomberg reported at 10.45am on budget day that chancellor John Healey would hike bank taxes less steeply than feared, and only increase the bank surcharge by 3%. That was at least two hours before Healey did indeed announce this in his budget speech. Bloomberg’s report caused bank shares to rise (as we blogged here) – so it is a classic example of a market-moving leak. Bowler told the Treasury committee in a letter, just released: I have been assured that no banks, their representatives or their trade bodies were briefed by Treasury on the details of the changes to the Bank Corporation Tax Surcharge before the publication of the Budget and the Chancellor’s statement to the House. Howeve