Issuance Date: August 11, 2017 Source: Economic Daily The Environmental Protection Tax Law underscores an important effort to implement the concept of green development to promote the protection of the eco-environment, attracting wide attention from society. As a new type of tax, the environmental protection tax differs largely from other types of taxes, and therefore requires special ways of collection and special technologies. The three departments' joint issuance of the Circular marks the formal kick-start of the preparation for the collection of environmental protection tax in all respects. The Environmental Protection Tax Law will be officially implemented on January 1, 2018. The Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation (SAT), and the Ministry of Environmental Protection jointly issued a circular requiring every region to get well prepared for implementation of the Environmental Protection Tax Law. Last December, the 25th Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress deliberated and passed the Environmental Protection Tax Law of the People's Republic of China, the first tax law since the third plenary session of the 18 CPC Central Committee. This law underscores an important effort to implement the concept of green development to promote the protection of the eco-environment, attracting wide attention from society.