Church Action for Tax Justice is calling for the UK Government to levy a windfall tax on fossil fuel giants.
As BP announces record profits, households across the country are battling a cost-of-living scandal – with rocketing energy bills playing a major part in their woes. Shareholders in the energy giant look set to benefit from a $2.5billion share buyback – whilst at the same time, ordinary people are having to make heart-breaking decisions about whether to ‘heat or eat’.
As Christians, we know that those among us blessed with abundance are called to care for those less well off, and not to make unfair profits at their expense. Timothy reminds us of this – “[a]s for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything we enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life”. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV).
Right now, we’re seeing families struggling with some of the worst financial challenges for decades, whilst at the same time the rate of tax on the working poor-and-middle has been hiked to eye-watering levels. In a fair society we should not be allowing corporate profiteering at the expense of the population, and we’re calling on the government to urgently redress the balance.
