Passengers board a plane at Shenzhen International Airport.
Pollution Tax Suggested for Wealthy Chinese Fleeing for Greener Pastures
February 20, 2014
By Liu Qin, a reporter in chinadialogue s Beijing office. This article was first published by chinadialogue.
Environmental problems have become an important factor causing the rich to leave China but one academic has now suggested that they should first pay an environmental levy. Chen Guoen, a professor at Wuhan University, said that some Western investment-for-citizenship schemes are tempting China’s rich to emigrate and enjoy cleaner air. According to Chen, China should respond by imposing an environmental restoration levy on those leaving their accumulation of wealth will have had environmental consequences, and they should not be allowed to take that money and run.