**Almost a quarter of voters in Iceland have signed a petition against a bill to repay money lost by foreigners when an Icelandic online bank collapsed.**The petition urged the president to veto the legislation and called for a referendum on the issue.
Parliament this week approved the bill to reimburse 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn) lost by Dutch and British savers when the Icesave scheme failed in 2008.
Many taxpayers say they are being made to pay for the bank’s mistakes.
The compensation amounts to some 12,000 euros for each citizen on the island nation of 320,000.
Staggering payments
A poll taken in August suggests that 70% of Icelanders were against the deal.
More than 56,000 - about 23% of Iceland’s voters - signed the petition urging President Olaf Ragnar Grimsson not to sign the bill.
The Icelandic government had threatened to resign if it was rejected by MPs.
“Approving the bill is the better option and will avoid even more economic damage,” Finance Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson said during the debate.
Icesave - the internet arm of Icelandic bank Landsbanki, which offered high interest rates - failed in October 2008.
An original agreement negotiated with the British and Dutch governments was approved in August.
But subsequent amendments negotiated by the prime minister were rejected in both countries, forcing a fresh vote.
Under the new deal the money - which represents 40% of the country’s GDP - will be repaid gradually, staggered until 2024.