China: The Chinese government is raising taxes on disposable wooden chopsticks, petrol-guzzling SUVs and the yachts of the country's nouveau riche in an ambitious attempt to cut energy consumption and combat worsening pollution in the world's fastest growing economy.
The new taxes, which come in on April 1st, are aimed at boosting the use of environmentally-friendlier small-engined cars and motorbikes. The taxes come complete with a social equality message, with hefty levies on luxury items such as golf balls and flashy watches.
The tax on chopsticks will come as a shock to a nation which uses chopsticks for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and where many people have never used a knife and fork. The Chinese use 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks every year, which adds up to 1.7 million cubic metres of timber or 25 million full-grown trees, and badly depleted forests.
This significant foray into "green taxation" is a sign of growing awareness within government that GDP (gross domestic product) growth is not the only yardstick for success anymore and that China's dire environmental record can feed into political discord.
The new taxes are part of the latest five-year plan, passed this month by the Communist Party at the country's annual parliament, which pledged to move the nation to a more sustainable growth model with less environmental degradation and greater social equity.
Wooden floor panels, a central interior design component in many Chinese homes, will also be levied from April 1st, the finance ministry said, and there will also be tax on baijiu, a potent schnapps-like liquor popular at boozy banquets.
China's environment is getting steadily worse - the World Bank says 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China and over 400,000 people die prematurely each year from pollution-related illnesses.
Experts warn that pollution levels in China could more than quadruple within 15 years if it does not curb its rapid growth in energy consumption.
The country is the second-biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions and is expected to overtake the US as the biggest.
Despite the gloom, there is some relief for Chinese consumers - the government is lifting taxes on shampoo and moisturiser, products once considered the exclusive preserve of the privileged few but now widely available.