Bloomberg French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is leaving open the possibility of a new tax on corporate “super profits” after lawmakers rejected the move last month. In an interview published in Le Parisien newspaper, Borne said she’d prefer alternatives to a windfall levy, such as companies lowering prices for consumers and giving bonuses to employees to bolster their spending ...

  Bloomberg Confidence in Germany’s business outlook fell in August as soaring inflation and fears about a possible recession in Europe’s largest economy has intensified. The Ifo Institute’s gauge of business expectations for the next six months inched down to 80.3 from 80.4 in July, though economists had predicted a steeper decline. Current conditions were also assessed more negatively. Still, ...

  Bloomberg Scotland’s public spending deficit shrank after revenue from the North Sea oil industry jumped to the highest in eight years and helped offset the fallout from the pandemic. The shortfall dropped to 23.7 billion pounds ($28 billion), or 12.3% of gross domestic product, in the 2021-22 financial year, according to the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report. That ...