Email this article to a friend Printable Version FREE Email Newsletter
 Support NaturalNews advertisers - Advertise with NaturalNews
 Nutrition Can Save America!
FREE report by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, reveals why nutritional deficiencies are destroying America's health and economy... and how to restore America's future with real food.
|
|
(NaturalNews) The government of Gong'an County, in China's Hubei province, sparked global controversy when it imposed a "cigarette quota" on public employees, in an effort to boost local revenue during the economic downturn.
Chinese law allows county governments to levy taxes on sales of cigarettes only if they are produced within the province. Gong'an County typically raises the least cigarette tax revenue of any county in the region, however, in part because neighboring Hunan province makes some of the highest quality cigarettes in China.
In an effort to raise revenue, the county passed a law ordering public employees to smoke only Gong'an county cigarettes, and threatening to penalize them if they failed to meet a certain quota. County employees were ordered to smoke a total of 230,000 Hubei-brand cigarettes, for total spending of nearly 4 million yuan ($590,000). As part of the new rule, a "special task force" was created and charged with enforcement.
The order drew global media attention when a local newspaper reported that a middle school teacher was to be disciplined for smoking the wrong brand of cigarettes. The teacher reported that county officials entered the school unannounced one afternoon and began sorting through the cigarette butts in the staff room.
When three "non-compliant" cigarette butts were found, the county threatened a fine. After negotiation with the school, a public reprimand was issued instead.
When the story broke, local and global press immediately criticized the rule for wasting public money and encouraging unhealthy practices.
In recent years, the central Chinese government has launched major anti-smoking initiatives. China is home to 350 million smokers, 1 million of whom die from tobacco-related causes each year.
Faced with mounting criticism, Gong'an authorities temporarily suspended the rule, saying that it violated rules about issuing notices.
"The matter is under review," the county said in a statement.
No health concerns were cited as a reason for the reversal, but officials did say that they had no intention of encouraging non-smokers to begin smoking.
Sources for this story include: www.telegraph.co.uk; www.reuters.com.
Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter
|

(FREE) Thursday evening, Dec. 3 at 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern), call in to hear the NaturalNews Talk Hour with special guests Nick Stern, Sun Warrior Protein & KC Craichy, LivingFuel - "Super Foods, Optimal Health" - Register via email to receive call-in number:
|
|
 Explore NaturalPedia.com, the internet's largest natural health encyclopedia of knowledge, covering over 50,000 topics. It's free! Visit NaturalPedia.com.
|
FREE Report: The Five Best Anti-Viral Products to Beat Influenza, Swine Flu, Bird Flu and SARS
• Top anti-viral remedies
• Where to get them now
• Four things to avoid
• Become self-reliant
• Boost your family safety
Click here to read the FREE report now.
|
W.H.O. Declares Global Pandemic Turn FEAR into Confidence!
Listen to the complete 3.5 hour recording on 4 audio CDs of the Health Ranger's Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness Course, covering natural anti-virals, family safety, infrastructure disruptions, quarantine, preparedness gear and much more.
Testimonials:
"Mike Adams' preparedness course turned our fears into confidence. This is POWERFUL information, coming from a trusted source. If you want to save yourself countless hours researching and getting prepared and if you want to do everything in your power to protect your family, I highly recommend the Health Ranger’s Advanced Preparedness Course."
- N. Nelson (Arizona)
"This is packed information no one should miss."
- T. Valenzuela
"Thanks Mike... during this class you covered prevention and preparedness from A to Z with integrity, brave honesty and outstanding knowledge! Thank you for your steadfast, thorough and cool-headed approach to well being. With deep gratitude for your service." - Bev
Available NOW for immediate shipping.
100% satisfaction guarantee
NEW Product: Valley of Longevity Shampoo from the Health Ranger
• 98% Organic
• 100% Natural
• 100% Fragrance Free!
• No SLS
• No Parabens
• No synthetic chemicals
• FREE shipping in U.S. on orders over $75
Click here to read more...
|
|
|