[20220323]IF12064_原油暴利税：背景和政策考虑 .pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov March 23, 2022Crude Oil Windfall Profits Taxes: Background and Policy Considerations Recent increases in gasoline prices and reports of high profits from large oil companies have contributed to congressional interest in a crude oil windfall profits tax. What Are Windfall Profits? Windfall (or excess) profits taxes are, in theory, designed to tax the portion of profits a firm derives from an external event. Windfall profits are generally believed to be those that represent an excessive, unearned, or unfair gain. Oftentimes, windfall profits taxes are discussed in the context of oil markets, where fluctuations in the price of oil are associated with volatile profits in the industry. It is possible windfall or excess profits may be realized in other industries. It has been suggested that some companies (certain technology companies, for example) may have realized excess or windfall profits as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Rising oil prices can be associated with rising industry profits, and falling oil prices may be associated with losses in the industry. Figure 1 plots the monthly average West Texas Intermediate (WTI) cr