I support such solution says Polish PM about windfall tax

Last September, the Council of the European Union agreed to impose an EU-wide windfall profits tax on fossil fuel companies to fund relief for households and businesses facing high energy prices, due primarily to Putin’s war on Ukraine). Piotr Polak/PAP

Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, has said that Poland supports the introduction of taxes on excess profits of large international companies as incomes obtained in this way will be used to reduce energy costs for individuals and firms.

"As far as the imposition of general taxes on large international companies is concerned, we support such solutions, also within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)," Morawiecki said.

The Polish prime minister made the statement after a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on Monday when asked about the introduction on the European level of a so called windfall tax on energy companies to rein in their excess profits.

"Some mechanisms have already been introduced," Morawiecki said, adding that he was speaking about such solutions "which could be qualified as a special tax on energy companies."

"We have also introduced price caps," he said.

According to Morawiecki, profits from these taxes "will go to other companies and individuals" in order to reduce costs resulting from the energy crisis.

Kristersson said that there were legal frameworks which were necessary to impose such taxes, and added that they had already been introduced in Sweden.

He admitted that last year's profits were high and that this year's incomes were also significant, and that they "go to Swedish consumers' pockets."

Several governments across Europe have imposed windfall taxes on energy companies last year to rein in excess profits as energy prices have soared following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Last September, the Council of the European Union agreed to impose an EU-wide windfall profits tax on fossil fuel companies to fund relief for households and businesses facing high energy prices, due primarily to Putin’s war on Ukraine).

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