A power supply control element comprising: a power metal oxide field effect transistor (88, 601, 701) having first and second main terminals (613, 713, 605, 705, 89, 91), a gate terminal, and a tap terminal; and a control circuit coupled to the gate and tap terminals of the power transistor (601, 701), wherein a voltage at the tap terminal is coupled to provide an input signal to a line sense function of the control circuit or a current provided at the tap terminal of the power transistor (88, 601, 701) is to be drawn from at least one of the first and second main terminals (613, 713, 605, 705, 89, 91) of the power transistor (88, 601, 701) to provide power to the control circuit; characterized in that: a tap element (90, 615, 715) is resistively coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) through a tap region (623, 723) and through a tap drift region (608, 708) when a region (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) is biased at a relatively low voltage with respect to regions (621, 721) coupled to the second of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705), the voltage difference between the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) being less than a pinch off voltage, and a portion of drift regions (607, 707) and the tap drift region (608, 708) is substantially or completely depleted of free charge carriers when the voltage difference between the main terminals (89, 91, 613, 713, 605, 705) is greater than or equal to a pinch off voltage, the drift regions (607, 707) adjoining at one end the regions (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) and extending from the regions (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) to adjoin body regions (611, 711) that adjoin the regions (621, 721) coupled to the second of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705). a power metal oxide field effect transistor (88, 601, 701) having first and second main terminals (613, 713, 605, 705, 89, 91), a gate terminal, and a tap terminal; and a control circuit coupled to the gate and tap terminals of the power transistor (601, 701), wherein a voltage at the tap terminal is coupled to provide an input signal to a line sense function of the control circuit or a current provided at the tap terminal of the power transistor (88, 601, 701) is to be drawn from at least one of the first and second main terminals (613, 713, 605, 705, 89, 91) of the power transistor (88, 601, 701) to provide power to the control circuit; characterized in that: a tap element (90, 615, 715) is resistively coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) through a tap region (623, 723) and through a tap drift region (608, 708) when a region (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) is biased at a relatively low voltage with respect to regions (621, 721) coupled to the second of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705), the voltage difference between the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) being less than a pinch off voltage, and a portion of drift regions (607, 707) and the tap drift region (608, 708) is substantially or completely depleted of free charge carriers when the voltage difference between the main terminals (89, 91, 613, 713, 605, 705) is greater than or equal to a pinch off voltage, the drift regions (607, 707) adjoining at one end the regions (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) and extending from the regions (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) to adjoin body regions (611, 711) that adjoin the regions (621, 721) coupled to the second of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705). a tap element (90, 615, 715) is resistively coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) through a tap region (623, 723) and through a tap drift region (608, 708) when a region (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) is biased at a relatively low voltage with respect to regions (621, 721) coupled to the second of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705), the voltage difference between the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) being less than a pinch off voltage, and a portion of drift regions (607, 707) and the tap drift region (608, 708) is substantially or completely depleted of free charge carriers when the voltage difference between the main terminals (89, 91, 613, 713, 605, 705) is greater than or equal to a pinch off voltage, the drift regions (607, 707) adjoining at one end the regions (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) and extending from the regions (603, 703) coupled to the first of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705) to adjoin body regions (611, 711) that adjoin the regions (621, 721) coupled to the second of the main terminals (89, 91, 605, 705).