Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to tackle excess profits in the energy sector.

The Government introduced the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) to respond the exceptional profits being made by the oil and gas sector driven by global circumstances. The EPL is a temporary 35 per cent surcharge on the exceptional profits being made by the sector and comes on top of the default 40 per cent headline tax rate applied to profits from UK oil and gas production, bringing the overall combined tax rate to 75 per cent. The EPL will end in 2028 if the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM) is not triggered.

Additionally, the Government introduced the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL), a temporary 45% tax on extraordinary returns made by some UK electricity generators from 1 January 2023. The levy will end in 2028. EGL is applied to extraordinary returns defined as selling electricity for a period at an average price of more than £75/MWh, which is approximately 1.5 times the average price of electricity over the last decade and well beyond pre-crisis expectations.

At its most recent forecast, the OBR forecasted that together, the EPL and EGL would raise approximately £40 billion while in force. This significant source of tax revenue has helped fund vital cost of living support.