a crackdown on 'fat cats' Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found the sharp increase in income inequality leaves Britain well above the group's average. Inequality in Britain peaked in 2000 but after falling it has been rising again since 2005. The study - Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising - published by the forum of 34 countries that earn the most, said the annual average income of the top 10 per cent was almost 55,000 in 2008, nearly 12 times higher than that of the bottom 10 per cent, who earned an average of 4,700. This is up from a ratio of 8 to 1 in 1985, the OECD said. Although the wealthiest have seen their income soar their tax rate has plummeted in the same period. In the 1980s the top rate of tax stood at 60 per cent but it slumped to 40 per cent in the early 2000s. The top rate of tax - paid by those earning more than 150,000 per year - now stands at 50 per cent. The report found that globally income inequality has been rising rapidly - even in countries such as Denmark and Norway which are traditionally more egalitarian societies. However, the rise has been sharpest in Britain. Yesterday Nick Clegg said ministers were prepared to bring in legislation to curb 'excessive and irresponsible' salaries that bear no relation to performance. Unequal societies: Only Chile, the U.S., Israel, Portugal and Italy have a more unequal