June 10, 2015 marked the day that the Chinese government released a new draft law for public comment. China’s increased awareness of the long lasting effects of pollution on the country’s land, water, and people is reflected in the 2015 Environmental Protection Tax Law. The law represents a joint effort between the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection “to protect and improve the environment, to encourage energy conservation and emissions reduction by the society, and to promote the construction of ecological civilization.” [1] However, the underlying motives seem to be: 1) to restructure the current enforcement of fines for pollution and 2) to push for a change in the behavior and operation of businesses.
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