Air pollution: Higher tax for car owners in China
Just as I was writing about air pollution and environmental problems in China, I found this news. It seems China is considering linking a special tax to engine emissions levels, and making sure car owners have to pay directly. This is an attempt to clean up the air in Chinese cities.
The China Daily reported on Monday that under the new tax rules, the tax burden on cars with an engine capacity over 3.0 litres could be as high as 15 to 20 percent. At present, a 3 to 8 percent tax was paid by manufacturers before cars entered the market, the paper said. "Those who buy cars with higher emissions will be taxed more heavily," Feng Fei, director of the industry department at the State Council's Development and Research Centre told China Daily in an interview.
A report released in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that of the ten most polluted cities in the world, seven could be found in China. Sulfur dioxide and soot caused by coal combustion are two major air pollutants, resulting in the formation of acid rain, which now falls on about thirty percent of China's total land area.
Reuters also reports that a cartoon in the China Daily showed a sweating owner rolling her car away from a petrol station thinking: "Another price hike. Oh well, at least if I push the car I'll get some exercise."
The China Daily reported on Monday that under the new tax rules, the tax burden on cars with an engine capacity over 3.0 litres could be as high as 15 to 20 percent. At present, a 3 to 8 percent tax was paid by manufacturers before cars entered the market, the paper said. "Those who buy cars with higher emissions will be taxed more heavily," Feng Fei, director of the industry department at the State Council's Development and Research Centre told China Daily in an interview.
A report released in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that of the ten most polluted cities in the world, seven could be found in China. Sulfur dioxide and soot caused by coal combustion are two major air pollutants, resulting in the formation of acid rain, which now falls on about thirty percent of China's total land area.
Reuters also reports that a cartoon in the China Daily showed a sweating owner rolling her car away from a petrol station thinking: "Another price hike. Oh well, at least if I push the car I'll get some exercise."
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