A number of new laws and regulations, ranging from the management of laundry and dyeing industries to household garbage treatment, took effect in China on Sunday.

A regulation has banned laundries and dyeing enterprises from luring customers to deposit more money in their consumer cards by promising fake discounts.

Drying cleaning shall not be replaced by rinsing or simply ironing in laundries, according to the regulation jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce, State Administration for Industry and Commerce and State Environmental Protection Administration.

The regulation also orders business operators to take clear measures to ensure work safety, control pollution and guarantee sanitary standards.

A regulation issued by the Ministry of Construction will fine individuals up to 200 yuan (US$26) for dumping trash illegally.

Companies that dump their daily garbage in unauthorized areas face fines from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan (US$6,579), according to the new regulation.

It requires both companies and individuals in urban areas to promptly pay garbage collection fees, which are set by local governments.

Another regulation becoming effective on July 1 will levy a new "car and ship" tax, which will double the tax rate on the usage of automobiles and ships.

China, with 148 million automobiles by the end of March, has been plagued by increasing pollution from exhaust emissions.

Taxes on bicycles have been scrapped, in an effort by to lessen the financial burden on China's hundreds of millions of bicyclists, according to the new regulation.

In addition, a new regulation jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration promises to grant preferential turnover tax and corporate income tax policies to companies that employ handicapped people.

In terms of the turnover tax, companies that employ handicapped persons will get refund in value-added tax or pay less business tax. The amount of tax deducted will be equal to six times the minimum income set by local governments, according to the regulation.

(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2007)