Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Monday
China recently added a tax on automobiles because the number grew from 640,000 to over 3 million in a little over 5 years. While they were at it they placed a tax on two wood items. What were they? Extra credit for why. This need for a wood tax also led to the development of a relatively new interior building product from the Far East for American homes. What is it?
What a taxing question
Does the auto tax also apply to the Harley-Davidson motorcycles they can now buy there?
As for the answer I have no idea. Besides it is too early.
Re: Monday
I'll stick to my chops ... eh guns and say that I don't remember why.
As I understand it
Yes. They taxed on engine size, not efficiency--mostly because they produce only small engines for their cars and scooters and none of them are as efficient as the Japanese engines. Go faster engines get the burden of paying extra and the foreign engines pay the price too.
You don't know the half of it?
Re: Monday
Keep the pandas from eating your floors!
Re: Monday answer
Sharon and Lynn get Kudos today. Chopsticks and floor planks.
D.B. gets the motorcycle answer.
The finance ministry is imposing a 5 percent tax on disposable wooden chopsticks and wood floor planks, citing a need to conserve timber. Environmentalists around the world have been warning that China's voracious demand for wood was contributing to the clear-cutting of many forests, especially in Southeast Asia.
The production of disposable wooden chopsticks consumes 2 million cubic meters (70.6 million cubic feet) of timber each year, the ministry said. Plastic chopsticks, which can be washed and were reused, will not be subject to the new tax.
China will also lower on April 1 its tax on motorcycles with engines displacing fewer than 250 milliliters to 3 percent, from 10 percent, while leaving the tax unchanged at 10 percent for motorcycles with more powerful engines. Western manufacturers like Harley Davidson are trying to break into the Chinese market with powerful bikes, while Chinese manufacturers like Lifan mainly produce less powerful models.
NY Times March 22, 2006
The industry developed I asked about because of lumber concerns in China is Bamboo plank flooring, a much, much faster renewable resource. I don�t have a source for this one only notes from, I�m guessing, a builders trade mag. Sorry