Brussels Weighs a Windfall Tax on Energy Firms as Fuel Prices Bite

European governments have discussed imposing a bloc-wide windfall tax on energy companies, according to the Guardian, as near-record fuel and gas prices pile pressure on leaders trying to contain rising household costs. The British paper reported on Friday that a German minister accused the companies of exploiting the situation in the Middle East, and that sky-high prices have become a major domestic issue across the bloc.

The measure is not yet law, and the Guardian's account describes discussions rather than a decision. What it does establish is that fuel and gas prices are now high enough to be treated as a political emergency in several member states at once, and that the search for a common fiscal answer is under way.