China started collecting an environmental tax

Almaty. January 3. Silkroadnews - China started collecting an environmental tax, Xinhua news agency reported.
“China started collecting an environment tax on Monday, as the country’s Environmental Protection Tax Law took effect on Jan. 1, 2018. The introduction of the tax called an end to the “pollutant discharge fee” which China had been collecting for nearly 40 years,” the report said.
According to Wang Jinnan, head of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning under the Ministry of Environmental Protection, this is China’s first environmental tax that will help to create a “green” financial and tax system to control pollution and reduce pollutant emissions.
China’s previous “pollutant discharge fee” came into force in 1979. However, some local authorities used loopholes and exempted enterprises, which otherwise could ensure significant revenues inflow for the budget. For years, regulatory authorities have proposed replacing the fee system with a law, the report said.
The law on environmental tax is aimed at companies and government agencies that directly pollute the environment. Under the new law, companies will pay taxes for air and water pollution, as well as for solid waste.
The statement by the Central Economic Work Conference held in December says, the fight against environmental pollution is one of the three “tough battles” that the Chinese government intends to win in the next three years.