People's Congress Passes Amendments to Vehicle and Vessel Tax

At a meeting of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) held on Feb 25, delegates voted to pass amendments to the country's Vehicle and Vessel Tax. As reported by domestic media before the congress began, the final draft of the amendments were not as onerous as the those outlined in an earlier draft, and most motorists will not see the tax, which ranges from 60 to 660 yuan for vehicles with an engine capacity below 2 liters depending on the exact size of the engine, rise. The owner of vehicles with an engine capacity larger than 2 liters will likely be taxed more, but the specific rates will be set by provincial legislatures. The amendments to the law will not come into effect until Jan 1, 2012. Delegates also voted to pass amendments to China's criminal law and to officially remove the under-investigation Railways Minister Liu Zhijun from his government post.