Specter: U.S. should consider windfall oil tax

Leading GOP Senator blames reduced competition for high oil, pump prices

WASHINGTON – The government should consider a tax on oil companies if they make excessive profits amid rising gasoline prices, a leading Republican senator said Sunday.

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said a windfall profits tax, along with measures to stem concentration of market power among a few select oil companies, could offer eventual relief to consumers hurting at the gas pump.

“I believe that we have allowed too many companies to get together to reduce competition,” Specter said.

“They get together, reduce the supply of oil, and that drives up prices,” he said. “In the short run, it’s hard to deal with it for tomorrow. But I think windfall profits, eliminating the antitrust exemption, considering the excessive concentration of power are all items we ought to be addressing.”

AP