Tax move to halt water wastage

Pilot program will be extended to nine more regions

China will expand the water resource tax pilot program into nine additional provincial-level regions from December, to strengthen the government's management of water resources, preventing wastage and pollution, as a measure to get high-water-consuming industries to shift growth models, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.

New regions to join the pilot program are Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Besides, Hebei was the first province that started to levy a tax on water resources since July 1, 2016, said a statement on the ministry's website.