The Korean site Donga is reporting that China is now considering using tax in an effort to fight pollution. According to the article,

A think tank under China’s Finance Ministry came up with three proposals to collect environmental taxes in November last year, according to reports released Sunday. The first is to impose taxes based on the principle of “pay according to profit,” by establishing general levies like the income tax. The second is collecting tax according to how much pollution companies discharge. The third is taxes on discharge like sulfur, coal or solid waste and other pollutants. The last is taxing consumers for using polluting products such as fertilizer and batteries.

Before everyone calls their accountant, I think it goes without saying that any of the three “plans” will require the ability to enforce and collect… historically a weak point for China in the area of taxes. However, with the recent announcement of the creation of ministry of energy, and the upcoming Energy Law, perhaps SEPA and the NRDC will finally be given the tools (TEETH) necessary to be able to successfully enforce the environmental laws of China.