On 29 September 2026 the company Orlen Unipetrol said that the extraordinary tax on refinery margins raises constitutional doubts and endangers investment in Czech refineries.
In a statement of 29 September 2026, the company Orlen Unipetrol said that the extraordinary tax on refinery margins, approved by the government in September 2026 because of high fuel prices, in its view raises constitutional doubts and endangers investment. [1][2][3]
The tax
The government decided that refineries will pay an extraordinary tax for 2026 and 2027. The base is the year-on-year increase in the gross margin compared with 2025, and the rate is half of that increase. [1][2] It applies to companies with annual revenue of at least two billion Czech crowns, of which at least 50 million comes from refining activity. [1] The cabinet of Andrej Babiš (ANO) justifies the step by saying that refinery margins rose because of a disrupted world oil market. [1][3] Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said it is appropriate for part of the extraordinary revenues of the refining sector to contribute to the costs of the crisis. [2] According to the Ministry of Finance, oil prices levelled off or fell faster than the prices of finished products, especially diesel, and the gap between them widened. [2]
The company's position
According to the company's analysis, the proposal raises serious doubts about its compliance with the constitutional order. Chief executive and chairman of the board Mariusz Wnuk said that the tax is being proposed at the end of the year whose results are to serve as the basis for the calculation, and that it affects a single company. [1][2][3] In his words, every billion paid in tax is missing from the modernisation of refineries, operational safety and projects reducing emissions. [1][2][3] Wnuk also said that the parent Orlen group has received no dividend since acquiring a 100 percent stake in 2018. [1][2][3] In his view, the gross refining margin is not net profit. [2]
The company
Orlen Unipetrol is the largest refining and petrochemical company in Czechia and part of the Polish Orlen group. It has refineries in Litvínov and in Kralupy nad Vltavou and includes Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, Remaq in Otrokovice and a research centre in Brno. [1][3] For 2025 the company reported a net loss of just under six billion Czech crowns, which rose to almost 47 billion after the recording of valuation allowances. The previous year ended with a loss of 16 billion crowns. [1][3]
Related articles: Orlen Unipetrol
Chronology
- — The company Orlen Unipetrol expressed doubts about the constitutionality of the new tax on refinery margins and said it could endanger investment. ČTK / České noviny iDNES.cz
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 29 September 2026
- iDNES.cz — 29 September 2026
- Novinky.cz — 29 September 2026