Many Italian energy companies have apparently refused an initial payment of an excess profit tax due by the end of June.

The government is missing revenue of more than nine billion euros, according to a document from the Ministry of Finance in Rome, available to the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.

Between 10 and 11 billion euros should be collected through a 25 percent excess profit tax from energy companies that have benefited from the drastic increase in oil and gas prices.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi wants to finance part of the aid package of 33 billion euros put together in January to relieve companies and households that are hit by high electricity, gas and fuel costs.

First installment due

Under the scheme, producers and sellers of electricity, natural gas and petroleum products would have had to make a 40 percent down payment by the end of June.

The remainder would then be due by November.

An update of the tax forecasts for the half-year budget is made in the Treasury document.

Accordingly, the income is more than nine billion euros lower than expected.

The state-controlled energy company Eni announced last week that it had already paid the first installment of the special tax.

Italy's largest energy company Enel said it booked a total of 2.6 billion euros to pay special taxes imposed by the Italian, Spanish and Romanian governments.

Several energy companies complained about the excess profit tax.

They emphasized that the fluctuating energy prices caused problems for them too.

Companies that missed the payment deadline at the end of June can pay the levy in the coming weeks or months.

However, penalties and interest will then be due, according to the ministry paper.

In Germany, too, there is a discussion about an excess or crisis profit tax.

Ifo President Clemens Fuest does not think this is a good idea.

“Those who make high profits in the crisis are already paying correspondingly high taxes today.

I don't think it makes sense to introduce an additional tax," said Fuest of the "Rheinische Post".

“Some companies are now making big profits because they have made provisions, for example to develop oil and gas wells, when others did not think so.

That they did that helps us today – without those investments, the prices would be even higher.”