Governments should tax energy companies to help poorer people cope with rising bills, but should not step in to cap gas prices, according to Shell’s boss.
Speaking at an energy conference in London, Ben van Beurden said: “One way or another, there needs to be government intervention.
“To protect the poorest, that may probably mean that governments have to tax the people in this room to pay for it.”
The EU last week reached an agreement on an initial energy package, including an extraordinary tax for companies. He has also been discussing a cap on the price of natural gas and energy.
But van Beurden criticized the latter approach, saying companies like Shell would struggle to bring additional supplies of natural gas to Europe if there was no price incentive.
He said: “We will do everything we can to bring gas to Europe where it is needed, but if the market signal is not there, it will be a real challenge.”
The Shell boss, who will step down early next year, also said he “struggled” to see how a price cap on Russian oil would work.
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