Quirky Asia Files: China Imposes Tax on Chopsticks
No, I'm not making this up. This news story is absolutely insane:
"China slaps tax on chopsticks to help save trees."
BEIJING - China will slap a tax on chopsticks and a range of goods ranging from yachts to gasoline in a bid to save trees and protect the environment. Plans to impose a 5 percent consumption tax on both disposable wooden chopsticks and wooden floor panels would help curb the plundering of timber resources and efforts to protect the environment, the Ministry of Finance said. Disposable chopsticks used up 1.3 million cubic meters of timber each year, depleting the country’s forests, the ministry said. |
UPDATE: The BBC reports that China "produces about 45 billion pairs of chopsticks a year, consuming millions of birch, poplar and bamboo trees." (Um, excuse me, but bamboo is not technically a "tree." It is, botanically speaking, a kind of giant grass plant. Get your facts straight, BBC.)