windfall tax

British

noun

a tax levied on an organization considered to have made excessive profits, esp a privatized utility company that has exploited a monopoly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Germany’s finance minister has proposed a windfall tax on energy companies, while New Zealand is giving around $120 a month to low- and middle-class families.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

The increase in demand has pushed coal prices higher and even sparked talk of a windfall tax in coal-producing Indonesia, which reversed a decision taken last year to reduce production.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

That is expected to be raised through a windfall tax on oil and gas firms.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2024

Its other key sources of budget revenue are added value tax, a windfall tax of 300 billion roubles and other extra fees.

From Reuters • Nov. 21, 2023

The country’s main electricity producer attributed the 43% decline to a windfall tax on profits introduced as prices for energy soared.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023