Czech MPs voted in the first reading yesterday to impose a sector tax on gross oil-refining margins, four days after Donald Trump announced his diesel deal with Vladimir Putin. Finance Min. Alena Schillerová of ANO didn't mention Trump or Putin in introducing the bill in Parliament yesterday and instead emphasized that it was several EU countries (Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain) that raised the issue of high refining margins. Schillerová spoke only of the effects of what is happening in Europe, not the causes. She didn't go into how Europe has hurt itself by supporting or at least tolerating the U.S.-Israeli war in the Middle East, imposing sanctions against Russia and Iran, and not demanding an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Orlen Unipetrol has warned that the sector tax will threaten Czech fuel-supply stability and overall energy security at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions. Perhaps Orlen is exaggerating the situation, but Europe does indeed give the impression of wanting to hit the refineries hard while there is still some oil in Europe to be refined.