FAZ exclusive: Brussels is planning a solidarity levy of one third on excess profits

The oil, gas and fuel companies are to pay a solidarity levy of a third of their excess profits made because of the high energy prices this year.

Like the electricity companies, they should make a contribution to cushioning the consequences of the energy crisis for households and companies.

This emerges from an internal draft for an EU law that Commission President Ursula announced for this Tuesday.

The draft is available to the FAZ.

The solidarity levy should be a minimum levy.

The Member States could also skim off more than a third.

Henrik Kafsack

Business correspondent in Brussels.

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According to the draft, the fee should only be levied once.

However, if the situation on the energy markets does not change, the Commission envisages the option of levying a solidarity levy in 2023 as well.

The authority justifies its initiative with the profits that go “beyond the result of normal business activities” that the fossil sector – just like the electricity companies – achieve because of the sharp rise in prices.

Profits in the oil, gas, coal and refining sectors could increase fivefold by the end of the year, the paper said.

The average profits of the three previous years, including a limited "free allowance", should be used as the basis for calculating the excess profits.

The amount of the levy is subject to change in the final legislative proposal.

The Commission removed all numbers and replaced them with "XXX" in the draft that formed the basis for the final internal deliberations on the sensitive law.

She wanted to prevent them from being “pierced” in advance.

However, she apparently overlooked the fact that at one point it is still stated that the levy should be "limited to a third of the excess profits".

The revenue from the new levy should go to needy households and companies, but also to the reduction of energy consumption.

The law, which the states have to adopt with a qualified majority, also contains the expected proposals for skimming off the special profits of electricity companies and electricity saving targets for the EU states.