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China Exempts Disease-Control Imports To Fight Coronavirus

By Eli Flesch · 2020-02-03 18:04:52 -0500

China is exempting imports from tax that could help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the country's Ministry of Finance said in a recent statement.

Products normally subject to import value-added tax and consumption tax will fall under the exemption if they help prevent the spread of the epidemic, the Saturday statement said.

Such products include ambulances, emergency command vehicles, disinfectants and protective supplies, according to the statement. Materials directly used by Chinese health authorities will be free from customs duties and can be deducted for VAT purposes, the statement said.

The coronavirus is a new respiratory disease that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency last week as the virus threatened to continue its spread.

--Editing by Neil Cohen.

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