6 دول أوروبية تطلب فرض ضريبة على الأرباح الاستثنائية لشركات النفط

The German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, in collaboration with five of his European counterparts, has initiated a new movement at the European Union level to impose a tax on the extraordinary profits made by oil companies as a result of the significant increase in their earnings amid the Iran war.

Rising Cost of Living

In the letter addressed to the Irish Finance Minister, it was stated: "We are witnessing one of the largest supply shocks in decades, and discontent is growing worldwide over the rising cost of living."

The finance ministers of Portugal, Spain, Austria, Italy, Poland, and Germany wrote in the letter that the government measures taken so far have not been sufficient to reduce prices or stabilize them permanently for businesses and citizens.

The letter stated: "Therefore, we need a joint action that ensures that those who benefit from the crisis also contribute to alleviating the burden on the general population."

Oil Refinery Profits

The ministers added: "We must address the issue of rising energy prices by discussing a framework at the EU level to impose taxes on extraordinary profits," noting that in this context, it is necessary to leverage experiences related to how to more effectively target the profits of oil companies.

They wrote in the letter: "Moreover, it is essential that we receive the results of the European investigation into refinery profit margins as soon as possible, to ensure that refineries do not exploit the current situation in the energy sector."

The letter was initiated by Klingbeil, and according to the demands outlined in it, the issue of the extraordinary profit tax is expected to be included on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the EU economy and finance ministers scheduled for mid-September in Dublin.

Rising Fuel Prices

With the rise in fuel prices due to the Iran war, calls for new government interventions have intensified. The German government had agreed in the spring to tighten oversight of oil companies by the German antitrust office, which also included the "12 o'clock rule" stating that gas stations may only raise prices once a day at noon. Following this, a fuel discount measure was implemented, and this temporary tax reduction on fuel ended at the end of June. Since then, fuel prices at gas stations have begun to rise again, increasing the intensity of the discussion surrounding government interventions.