TotalEnergies avoids French corporate tax after reporting refining losses
TotalEnergies paid no French corporate tax last year after refining losses reached 300 million euros. CEO Patrick Pouyanne defended the firm's global tax record.
Insights:
TotalEnergies SE has reported that its refining operations in France 
FR generated a fiscal loss of between €200–300 million last year. As a result of this performance in the refining sector, the company did not pay corporate tax in France for that year. This disclosure highlights a significant gap between reported group profitability and taxable results in specific jurisdictions, illustrating the tensions between company-level losses and national fiscal revenues.
FR generated a fiscal loss of between €200–300 million last year. As a result of this performance in the refining sector, the company did not pay corporate tax in France for that year. This disclosure highlights a significant gap between reported group profitability and taxable results in specific jurisdictions, illustrating the tensions between company-level losses and national fiscal revenues.The disclosure, which was reported in connection with TF1 Ecorama, comes at a critical time as the government rolls a temporary French corporate surtax into the France 2026 budget. Amid concerns over high national debt and the state of public finances, the decision to make this surtax permanent reflects a broader effort to stabilize national revenue. Patrick Pouyanne, representing the company's leadership, remains a key figure as these fiscal policies are implemented.
