Healey, currently in Bangkok for International Monetary Fund meetings, is understood to have decided to tap the financial sector for additional revenue to keep the Treasury's deficit reduction plans on track. The IMF praised the UK's progress toward balancing the books and urged the government to 'stay the course'.
One option under discussion is reversing cuts to the bank surcharge made by former chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Such a move would raise upwards of £2bn a year. Industry figures believe the surcharge on bank profits, paid above corporation tax, is likely to be raised back to 8% from the current 3%.
The UK's four largest lenders -- HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group -- have generated £200bn in pre-tax profits over the past five years, boosted by rising interest rates.
The TUC's general secretary, Paul Nowak, said: 'Britain's big four banks are making a billion pounds a week, while bonuses have hit a post-crash record. These are bumper profits -- driven by high interest rates and households' mortgage misery. It's time to make sure banks pay their fair share.'
Speaking in Bangkok, Healey was careful to praise banks as 'hardwired into the economic fabric of this country and our future prospects'. He acknowledged that people too often see them as 'big distant financial institutions'.
However, the chancellor is believed to be minded to proceed with the increase. The option of taxing banks more heavily was considered but rejected by his predecessor, Rachel Reeves, who was wary of deterring future investment.
The UK's cost of borrowing has risen sharply in recent weeks alongside global bond markets, as investors respond to the prospect of higher inflation resulting from the Middle East conflict. Analysts have suggested the rise could halve the £24bn cushion Reeves had built up against Labour's fiscal rules in the spring forecast.