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Environmental tax plan passed by ministries

By Hu Yang (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-12-07 17:30

China's environmental tax plan has been approved by the nation's three ministries and submitted to the State Council, the country's Cabinet, the Economic Information Daily reported Tuesday. The tax will first be levied on sulfur dioxide and wastewater.

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Experts close to the ministries say the earliest release date for relevant regulations is next year, according to the report. The three ministries are the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Professor Ma Zhong, dean of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Renmin University, said the tax will be an "upgraded version" on the current discharge fee, and the tax rate will be set at a comparatively low level in the early days.

The carbon emissions tax, which was previously rumored to be included in the environmental tax trial, is unfeasible at the current state due to technical difficulties, Ma said.