China Backing Away From Carbon Tax Start in 2013, Official Says

China will wait until after this year to introduce a tax on carbon, deferring to concern that economic growth might suffer, a government researcher said.

The nation eventually expects to introduce a levy of 5 yuan to 10 yuan (80 cents to $1.61) per ton of carbon, Jia Kang, head of research at the Ministry of Finance, said in Beijing yesterday. The tax, proposed in China’s latest five-year plan, was intended to apply to carbon emissions from fossil fuels, KPMG International said in a May 2011 report.