China to Further Propel Resource, Environmental Tax Reform

China has agreed on a blueprint to deal with climate change over the next five years, including reforms on resource and environmental taxes, the central government said in a statement published on its website, sources reported.

The plan also aims to restrict export production that leads to heavy pollution or excessive energy consumption.

The plan was submitted to China's State Council with effort to expand the country's new resource tax from regional oil and natural gas to other resources and all regions.

In 2010, China launched a trial program in the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which is rich in resources. The government imposed a 5% resource tax on oil and gas to protect the region's environment.

China's resource tax revenue surged 41.4% year on year to RMB 18.49 billion in the first four months of this year, boosted by a tax reform carried out since July last year.

During the period from January to April, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region collected a total of RMB 1.94 billion of resources taxes, 314.6% more than in the same period of last year.