Updated
Updated · Tax Foundation · Jul 15
Senators Propose 50% Oil Tax and 25% Buyback Levy as Energy Prices Soar
Updated
Updated · Tax Foundation · Jul 15

Senators Propose 50% Oil Tax and 25% Buyback Levy as Energy Prices Soar

3 articles · Updated · Tax Foundation · Jul 15

Summary

  • Two Democratic-backed bills would hit oil and gas companies with new taxes, including a windfall levy on crude sales and a sharply higher tax on stock buybacks.
  • The Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act would permanently tax crude at 50% of the gap between the current quarter’s average price and the 2025 average.
  • A separate measure from Chuck Schumer and Ron Wyden would raise the stock buyback tax for oil and gas companies to 25% from 1%.
  • The proposals come as lawmakers respond to public anger over high energy prices, reviving producer-focused tax ideas as a policy answer to the supply crunch.

Insights

Will taxing oil company profits actually lower gas prices, or could it unintentionally make the energy crisis worse?
Europe's energy taxes have deterred investment. Can the U.S. design a tax that avoids the same pitfalls?