Top bankers are split over a mooted $350 million annual levy to keep branches open in the bush, with Commonwealth Bank of Australia chief executive Matt Comyn emerging as a pragmatic supporter of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ proposal to spread the burden among all the banks.

Bank leaders gathered in Canberra for the Australian Banking Association’s council meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, amid industry angst about the potential new levy suggested by Treasury last week and first revealed by The Australian Financial Review.