Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Exxon, Shell CEOs Weigh In On Windfall Profit Tax For Energy Companies

They're against it.

From the Houston Business Journal, October 31:

As oil and gas companies in the U.S. and Europe rake in huge profits this year, governments are mulling ways to lower costs for consumers — including through windfall profit taxes.

Lawmakers in Europe and the U.K. aim to raise billions of dollars through windfall taxes levied on large energy corporations. The European Union agreed to tax surplus profits from fossil fuel companies earlier this fall, following a similar "Energy Profits Levy" introduced in the U.K. in May

Oil and gas companies have seen some massive profits even in their latest quarterly financial results: London-based Shell PLC (NYSE: SHEL) announced third-quarter profits of $9.45 billion in earnings last week. Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), which is moving its headquarters to its Houston-area campus next year, brought in a record profit of $19.66 billion in Q3. California-based Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) made $11.23 billion last quarter....

....But despite making billions in profits, Shell said it did not pay the U.K.'s special levy on energy firms because the company was making large investments in its North Sea footprint....

....MUCH MORE

Aye lad, there's the rub.

Because ahead of the big climate confab in the Sinai

 that begins on Sunday we are seeing the various attendees floating their reports and position papers.

And as far as new drilling goes: they're against it.

Via Faversham House' flagship platform, edie, the latest from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), October 24:

Report: Additional oil and gas capacity ‘incompatible’ with 1.5C future