U.S. oil main Exxon Mobil Corp is suing the Eu Union in a bid to pressure it to scrap the bloc’s new providence tax on oil teams, arguing Brussels exceeded its felony authority by way of enforcing the levy.

Document earnings this 12 months by way of oil corporations taking advantage of top power costs have boosted inflation all over the world and resulted in contemporary calls to additional tax the field.

The providence earnings tax is “counter-productive,” discourages investments and undermines investor self assurance, Exxon spokesperson Casey Norton mentioned on Wednesday. Exxon will issue within the tax because it considers long term multibillion-euro investments in Europe’s power provide and transition, he mentioned.

“Whether or not we make investments right here essentially relies on how horny and globally aggressive Europe can be,” Norton mentioned.

The Monetary Occasions first reported the lawsuit on Wednesday.

Providence benefit taxes imposed by way of Europe may price a minimum of $2 billion in the course of the finish of 2023, Leader Monetary Officer Kathryn Mikells mentioned in a decision to analysts on Dec. 8.

Exxon mentioned it invested $3 billion up to now decade in refinery tasks in Europe. The tasks are serving to it ship extra power merchandise at a time when Europe struggles to cut back its imports from Russia, the corporate mentioned.

“We can proceed to paintings with EU leaders to handle those problems. Considerate coverage is significant,” the corporate mentioned.

Chevron Corp had additionally warned that taxing oil manufacturing would serve best to cut back power provide by way of discouraging corporate investments.

“That is going in opposition to the intent of accelerating providers and making power extra reasonably priced,” Chevron’s leader monetary officer, Pierre Breber, instructed Reuters in October.