SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Gas prices of more than $7.00 per gallon are posted at a downtown Los Angeles gas station on March 9, 2022. (Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Poll Shows 'Incredible' 80% of US Voters Support Windfall Tax on Big Oil
"If members of Congress refuse to act, it'll be concrete evidence that they’re in the pockets of the industry," said one climate advocate.
Mar 18, 2022
New survey data out this week shows that U.S. voters--regardless of party affiliation--overwhelmingly support a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil corporations that are using Russia's war on Ukraine to hike prices at the pump.
" GOP and industry disinformation is failing to convince people--voters know Big Oil is to blame."
According to polling results released by the League of Conservation Voters, 80% of U.S. voters--including 73% of Republicans--support "placing a windfall profits tax on the extra profits oil companies are making from the higher gasoline prices they are charging because of the Russia-Ukraine situation."
More broadly, 87% of U.S. voters want Congress and President Joe Biden to "crack down on price gouging and excessive price increases by oil companies that result in higher gas prices at the pump."
Jamie Henn, director of Fossil Free Media, said in a statement Friday that the survey data shows voters "know who is to blame for high gas prices: Big Oil."
"For politicians on both sides of the aisle, this polling is proof that their constituents overwhelmingly support the idea of a windfall profits tax that would stop Big Oil profiteering and send relief directly to consumers," Henn added. "If members of Congress refuse to act, it'll be concrete evidence that they're in the pockets of the industry."
The fresh polling came days after a group of House and Senate Democrats unveiled legislation that would hit large, highly profitable oil companies with "a per-barrel tax equal to 50% of the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the pre-pandemic average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019."
"Once more for the people in the back: rising oil prices are being caused by corporate greed."
"Revenue raised from the windfall profits of big oil companies will be returned to consumers in the form of a quarterly rebate, which would phase out for single filers who earn more than $75,000 in annual income and joint filers who earn more than $150,000," according to a summary released by the office of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the bill's lead sponsor in the House.
After an initial surge following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, oil prices have fallen in recent days--but gas prices in the U.S. have remained elevated, bolstering the narrative that corporate profiteering is driving up costs at the pump.
"Oil prices are decreasing, gas prices should too," President Joe Biden wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "Last time oil was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon. Now it's $4.31. Oil and gas companies shouldn't pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, echoed the president's message.
"Once more for the people in the back: rising oil prices are being caused by corporate greed," Jayapal wrote.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
New survey data out this week shows that U.S. voters--regardless of party affiliation--overwhelmingly support a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil corporations that are using Russia's war on Ukraine to hike prices at the pump.
" GOP and industry disinformation is failing to convince people--voters know Big Oil is to blame."
According to polling results released by the League of Conservation Voters, 80% of U.S. voters--including 73% of Republicans--support "placing a windfall profits tax on the extra profits oil companies are making from the higher gasoline prices they are charging because of the Russia-Ukraine situation."
More broadly, 87% of U.S. voters want Congress and President Joe Biden to "crack down on price gouging and excessive price increases by oil companies that result in higher gas prices at the pump."
Jamie Henn, director of Fossil Free Media, said in a statement Friday that the survey data shows voters "know who is to blame for high gas prices: Big Oil."
"For politicians on both sides of the aisle, this polling is proof that their constituents overwhelmingly support the idea of a windfall profits tax that would stop Big Oil profiteering and send relief directly to consumers," Henn added. "If members of Congress refuse to act, it'll be concrete evidence that they're in the pockets of the industry."
The fresh polling came days after a group of House and Senate Democrats unveiled legislation that would hit large, highly profitable oil companies with "a per-barrel tax equal to 50% of the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the pre-pandemic average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019."
"Once more for the people in the back: rising oil prices are being caused by corporate greed."
"Revenue raised from the windfall profits of big oil companies will be returned to consumers in the form of a quarterly rebate, which would phase out for single filers who earn more than $75,000 in annual income and joint filers who earn more than $150,000," according to a summary released by the office of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the bill's lead sponsor in the House.
After an initial surge following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, oil prices have fallen in recent days--but gas prices in the U.S. have remained elevated, bolstering the narrative that corporate profiteering is driving up costs at the pump.
"Oil prices are decreasing, gas prices should too," President Joe Biden wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "Last time oil was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon. Now it's $4.31. Oil and gas companies shouldn't pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, echoed the president's message.
"Once more for the people in the back: rising oil prices are being caused by corporate greed," Jayapal wrote.
New survey data out this week shows that U.S. voters--regardless of party affiliation--overwhelmingly support a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil corporations that are using Russia's war on Ukraine to hike prices at the pump.
" GOP and industry disinformation is failing to convince people--voters know Big Oil is to blame."
According to polling results released by the League of Conservation Voters, 80% of U.S. voters--including 73% of Republicans--support "placing a windfall profits tax on the extra profits oil companies are making from the higher gasoline prices they are charging because of the Russia-Ukraine situation."
More broadly, 87% of U.S. voters want Congress and President Joe Biden to "crack down on price gouging and excessive price increases by oil companies that result in higher gas prices at the pump."
Jamie Henn, director of Fossil Free Media, said in a statement Friday that the survey data shows voters "know who is to blame for high gas prices: Big Oil."
"For politicians on both sides of the aisle, this polling is proof that their constituents overwhelmingly support the idea of a windfall profits tax that would stop Big Oil profiteering and send relief directly to consumers," Henn added. "If members of Congress refuse to act, it'll be concrete evidence that they're in the pockets of the industry."
The fresh polling came days after a group of House and Senate Democrats unveiled legislation that would hit large, highly profitable oil companies with "a per-barrel tax equal to 50% of the difference between the current price of a barrel of oil and the pre-pandemic average price per barrel between 2015 and 2019."
"Once more for the people in the back: rising oil prices are being caused by corporate greed."
"Revenue raised from the windfall profits of big oil companies will be returned to consumers in the form of a quarterly rebate, which would phase out for single filers who earn more than $75,000 in annual income and joint filers who earn more than $150,000," according to a summary released by the office of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the bill's lead sponsor in the House.
After an initial surge following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, oil prices have fallen in recent days--but gas prices in the U.S. have remained elevated, bolstering the narrative that corporate profiteering is driving up costs at the pump.
"Oil prices are decreasing, gas prices should too," President Joe Biden wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "Last time oil was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon. Now it's $4.31. Oil and gas companies shouldn't pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, echoed the president's message.
"Once more for the people in the back: rising oil prices are being caused by corporate greed," Jayapal wrote.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.