Facing the deputies, Patrick Pouyanné did not let it go.
Questioned, Wednesday morning, by the elected members of the flash mission on the “superprofits” of oil and gas companies, the CEO of TotalEnergies defended the choices of his company, as well as the participation of the energy giant in public finances.
Accused by certain voices on the left of tax optimization, the firm contributes heavily to the accounts of the States, argued the businessman, assuring that he paid “
tax on profits, in the countries where we realize it
” .
In 2020, a year marked by the Covid and the fall in oil prices, TotalEnergies had paid some $ 6 billion in "
various taxes on profits and production
", he said.
An amount which then jumped to "
16 billion
" a year later, and which should climb to "
30 billion
" this year.
"
The vast majority
" of these sums are paid in oil-producing countries, where "
taxation is
“, said Patrick Pouyanné, speaking of a”
rent captured by the countries [...] which produce the natural resources
“.
In France, on the other hand, the activities of TotalEnergies are much less profitable, even recording significant losses, qualified the CEO.
Beyond corporation tax, however, the company pays "
a contribution [...] of around 1.6 billion to 1.9 billion euros per year to the French budget
", of which approximately one billion euros in social security contributions.
A “
rush
” on the stations with the reinforced discount
Attacked by members of the flash mission, the CEO of TotalEnergies also underlined the company's efforts to restore purchasing power to the French.
The first version of its pump price discount of 10 cents led to a “
ripple effect
” among its competitors, as well as a jump in volumes of “
20%
”.
Ultimately, this operation cost “
about 100 million euros
” to the group.
The reinforced version of the discount, in force since September, resulted in a "
rush of the French on the stations
", with an explosion in attendance of "
80%
" the first week, an overwhelmed logistics system and large queues.
After two weeks, attendance remains massive, around 30% in volume, added the businessman.
"
I don't gain anything [...].
We are, after two weeks, at a cost of around 71 million euros for the company
", described Patrick Pouyanné, adding that if the private customers were numerous, those professionals, having for example a professional card, "
leave
", annoyed by the queues in front of the stations.
