Sound Bites

"As to many people filing for divorce to avoid taxes (the 20 percent personal income tax on capital gains from property sales), I think that when a policy results in such a social tragicomedy, it must be a flawed policy."

LOU JIWEI, minister of finance, said the authority is considering changing the personal income tax rules on property. Under a property tax regulation Beijing adopted last year, couples must pay a 20 percent personal income tax on capital gains from a sale if the homeowner sells the property within five years of its purchase and the property is not the only one owned. The regulation motivated couples to divorce before making property transactions.

"Our country owes too much economic debt to the laborers at the bottom level. The lack of care about them economically creates an uneasy situation for the country."