Chinese Executed for Killing Tax Inspector

A man who killed a tax inspector to evade payment of a salt tax was executed in southern Fujian province, the official People’s Daily newspaper said Monday. The execution came amid reports of recent attacks against tax collectors by angry private businessmen.

The Zhangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Fujian imposed the death sentence on Zheng Anfu. The newspaper said Zheng, together with two other men, went to a salt field in the early hours of Oct. 21 and tried to take away 2.3 tons of salt by tractor.

To evade payment of a salt tax, the three ignored an order from three tax officials to stop at an inspection center near the salt field. The officials forcibly stopped the tractor and a fight ensued, the People’s Daily said. In the tussle, one tax inspector was killed when he was pushed off the tractor.