The dramatic rise in energy prices in the wake of the Iran war has led to calls for the European Union to introduce a so-called windfall tax on oil and gas companies, to use some of their profits to help governments fund relief schemes. Earlier this month, the finance and economy ministers of Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain wrote a joint letter to EU Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, asking for such a levy. They wrote that it would "send a clear message that those who profit from the consequences of the ​war must do their part to ease the burden on the general public." Oil companies have made massive profits as a result of the spike in prices caused by the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. An analysis by the UK's Guardian newspaper, using data from Rystad Energy, found that leading oil and gas companies will make an extra $234 billion (€200 billion) by the end of the year, if the oil price continues to average around $100.…