Province's tax authorities sail into storm

HANGZHOU - Tax authorities in Zhejiang province have responded to an outcry over their buying a yacht for 2.71 million yuan ($424,000) by saying it will be used to collect taxes.

Pictures of the yacht Guorui published widely on the Internet raised questions about whether it had been bought for entertainment purposes.

In one Internet posting there is a picture of the yacht and a picture of a banner saying that tax officials in Zhejiang had held a ceremony when the yacht made its maiden voyage.