An Observer investigation has found that the increase in payouts for the year to April is crippling the NHS amid claims by medical negligence experts that the hefty bill is due to Government attempts to hold health authorities responsible for wrongdoing.
The Scottish Borders and Midlothian were the only local authorities to see an increase in payouts in the last couple of years.
The life insurer said the rise in stock markets last year would lead to year-on-year increases in payouts across all types of policy.
The bulk of the increase in the payout came from his cash bonus increasing by £493,000 to £572,000, and from his salary jumping from £114,000 to £600,000.
The figures shown in the accompanying graphics compare the number of companies announcing either a resumption of dividend payments or an increase in the payout to the number announcing either a reduction or elimination of the dividend.
In May, the University of Texas System Board of Regents — at the request of the system's chancellor, Francisco Cigarroa — approved a $25 million increase in its payout to the university from its endowment to help pay for the school.
Its units yield 8.1% and have enjoyed a 46% increase in the payout over the last five years.
The largest U.S. conglomerate also raised its quarterly dividend by 1 cent to 15 cents per share, its third increase in the payout in the past year.
For instance, while empirically investigating the impact of dividend taxation on corporate payout behavior, Chetty and Saez (2005) find that firms respond with an increase in dividend payouts if managers are provided with strong incentives.
