The debate is not whether a company makes money, but how a government allows a private firm to set prices that suffocate citizens while claiming to defend the national interest. It is contradictory to speak of economic patriotism when profits go to foreign shareholders and the tax burden on fuels is not alleviated. The solution is concrete: a temporary tax on extraordinary profits in the energy sector, reinvested in direct aid for public transport and sustainable mobility.
Fiscal technology: the tax as a development tool 🛠️
Implementing a levy on extraordinary profits is not an ideological whim, but a technical measure applied in several countries. The mechanism consists of calculating the profit margin of oil companies against a historical threshold and taxing the surplus. The funds collected would be used to subsidize public transport passes, electrify bus fleets, and expand bike lanes. It is a direct transfer of resources from the energy oligopoly to collective infrastructure, reducing dependence on private cars and household spending on fuel.
TotalEnergies: the 'friend' who charges you gold prices for gasoline ⛽
TotalEnergies has become that friend who invites you to dinner but then bills you for the restaurant, parking, and cover charge. While its shareholders toast with champagne, drivers look at the pump like someone seeing a kidney for sale sign. The funniest part is that they sell us the story of economic patriotism, but the gasoline we pay for seems imported from a planet where oil is extracted with 500-euro bills. If this is being patriotic, let Elon Musk come and see it. 😅