Furniture dealers block highway to protest tax crackdown

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-15 20:51

NANCHANG - Hundreds of furniture makers and dealers in an eastern China city smashed police cars and blocked an expressway on Monday to protest a proposed tax crackdown, police said.

The dealers gathered along a section of national highway 105 in Nankang City, Jiangxi Province at about 10 am and cut off traffic, city police said. Nankang is a four-hour drive from the provincial capital Nanchang.

Most of the furniture shops are clustered along the highway section.

Also, nearly 100 dealers went to the city government building to complain about the rule planned to take effect on Monday.

Some police cars were smashed and overturned, but no casualties were reported.

The police said the city planned to tighten up tax enforcement on furniture makers and dealers, a proposal that led to a backlash from the industry.

Nankang suspended the implementation of the new rule and dealers were urged to keep calm.