Spritpreise: Polen führt Übergewinnsteuer für Mineralölkonzerne ein

Poland has introduced a windfall tax on oil companies to help lower fuel prices, President Karol Nawrocki announced on Thursday evening. The President signed a corresponding bill, stating that "every Zloty earned due to this law must be spent on reducing fuel prices." The center-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans to use the revenue from the windfall tax to fund a revision of the fuel price package.

Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski estimates that fuel prices will drop by around 23 cents per liter by the end of the week. Currently, unleaded petrol in Poland costs an average of 2.05 euros per liter, while diesel fuel is priced at 2.06 euros per liter. The law introducing the windfall tax faced political turmoil between the government and the right-conservative president in Poland.

Nawrocki vetoed the government's initial attempt in the summer, but he eventually signed the law after pressure from the public, while simultaneously instructing the constitutional court to review it. Germany has also been discussing a windfall tax for several months, with Finance Minister Friedrich Merz and Economy Minister Katharina Reiche (both CDU) opposing it, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) represented by Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil supports it.

An attempt by the Finance Minister to introduce the tax at the EU level was temporarily rejected by EU Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) called for the tax to be implemented nationally if necessary.