As Spring advances in China, a curious new trend had some foreigners scratching their heads. Innumerable couples were seen making their way to the marriage office.
Was it Spring? Was it a propitious year for marriage? What was going on?
It turns out that Chinese couples are actually seeking a divorce. Fast.
But let's get all the information we need before we go screaming about on the dissolution of Chinese families.
What is happening is that the Chinese government has passed a new tax code that levvies a higher property tax on couples, and so the Chinese are running as fast as they can to get a divorce, or annullment.
The tax, which is a property tax in nature, has a loophole that allows those who end their marriage to avoid the tax altogether.
The tax was put in place to rein in house prices, and it is part of a wider tax package that sees a 20% tax levvy on profits from sale of property to prevent a mass sellout. But the tax allows a married couple to own two houses, one in each of the partners' name and then enable them to sell the house tax free, after which the couple can remarry.
Government offices are swamped, but for now, there is no end in sight for the lines of would be divorce applicants, as long as the tax remains in place as is.
Source: China Daily 3.18.13
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