Officials in Beijing announced that, from the beginning of August, they would eliminate or reduce tax rebates on more than 2,000 goods, including a 13% value-added tax rebate on soda ash. Wyoming's congressional delegation lauded the move and said the tax reduction should greatly benefit Wyoming's soda ash industry, which accounts for over 90% of the nation's soda ash production. For the first time in 100 years, China surpassed the US as the world's leading producer. The Asian behemoth is also the world's largest consumer of soda ash. Wyoming producers are also facing emerging threats from areas including India, which established itself last year as the third leading soda ash producing nation in the world. Around 95% of Chinese soda ash production is done through a synthetic process, which is energy intensive and environmentally unfriendly.
