The government have no excuse not to impose a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies, according to the comments of EU commissioner Dan Jørgensen today.
The commissioner said “the commission of the view that member states can take measures on the taxation of windfall profits to ensure social fairness”.
Lynn Boylan says that this leaves the government with “nowhere to hide” when it comes to this issue.
The Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin said “Every time we called on the government to introduce a windfall tax on the profits of these energy companies we were told that we had to wait for the EU to act.
“The commissioners comments today have rubbished that line.
“While the latest spike in energy prices has heaped pressure on workers and families, it’s also heaped the profits of the big energy companies.
“For these energy companies to rake in billions in profits while almost 300,000 energy accounts are in arrears obscene.
“There’s nowhere left for the government to hide on this issue.
“They can take a step in the name of fairness to help households, or they can do as they always do and stick to having the back of big businesses, regardless of the cost to ordinary people.”
