BP sees $2.5 billion UK tax bill this year including windfall levy

LONDON (Reuters) -BP expects to pay around $2.5 billion in taxes for its British North Sea business this year, including $800 million in a windfall tax, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Britain in May imposed the 25% Energy Profits Levy (EPL) on North Sea oil and gas producers to raise money to help households struggling to pay their bills after energy prices spiked in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The EPL, which brings total taxation on UK North Sea oil and gas production to 65%, includes incentives to increase spending in new oil and gas projects.

In 2021, BP paid $120 million in tax for its UK North Sea business, a spokesperson said.

Shell said last week it did not expect to pay the windfall tax in Britain in the current quarter because its investments offset the tax under the incentive mechanism, while TotalEnergies said it paid $600 million for four months of windfall taxation.

(Reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter)