Peking, Nov. 24.
Largely as a result of the agi tion of the merchants, the Minister of Finance announces that the luxury tax which the Ministry had sought to impose as from Decem-}ber 1 will not become effective until JJanuary 1 and then it will be much modified, the rates ranging from 5 {to 10 per cent. instead of from 10) [to 30 per cent., while many articles will be eliminated from the list, Jsuch as sugar, tea and kerosene oil. Also, the tax will not. be. imposed. jon stocks held by the merchants, as had originally been intended
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