Some 500 taxi-owners in Changchun have been gathering in front of the Shuangyang district government since 16 December 2003 demanding reductions in various charges and levies on taxis. The protest was triggered by the Shuangyang Government’s recent decision authorizing the running of 3 public minibus lines within the district and awarding all 3 routes to one private company. The company also received a three-year exemption from all taxes. This favourable treatment means that the new minibus operator can set the fares at the low rate of 50 cents per person as compared to the higher cost of a taxi at around 2 Yuan per person. The taxi drivers are asking the government to grant them the same favourable tax-exempt status.
A local government official informed CLB that although the protest was sparked by a genuine problem for the taxi-owners, he dismissed the protestors as selfish and inconsiderate of the interests of the whole population. Another official from Shuangyang District’s Transport Bureau admitted that there had been no consultation with the taxi owners on the new policy, but claimed that taxi-owners had themselves enjoyed tax-exempt status when their certificates of operation were first issued.
However, one protestor, who had bought her taxi with funds from her retrenchment compensation after she had been laid off from the local government grain bureau, told CLB that she had never enjoyed any form of tax-free status nor any discounts on operating charges. She said the protesting taxi-drivers were merely calling for fair competition with the new minibuses and that they wanted to enjoy the same favourable terms as the minibus operator. She also informed CLB that the protestors were in process of electing representatives to negotiate with the government. However they were still unsure about how to establish an election and whom they would elect.
During the protest, on 17 December, one taxi driver, who was trying to persuade his fellow protestors to talk to the government instead of staging a demonstration, was apprehended by the police for “talking too much”. According to sources, he tried to run away but was pushed to the ground, breaking his leg in the process. He was then beaten by officers.
According to the injured driver’s father, their family is in a difficult situation as all five family members were supported by the injured son. The father was classified as an “intellectual’ in the late 1960s and sent to the countryside in 1971, working as a party secretary in the village for many years. After finishing service in the countryside he was transferred back to Shuangyang but was not given a job. His wife is also unemployed and ill. The couple receives no minimum living allowance from the government. His son, the injured driver, has a 5-month old baby and an unemployed wife to support. The father wants to take legal action to hold the police responsible for his son’s injury but the family cannot afford to hire a lawyer.
[See Chinese audio interviews on 18 December and 27 December – English transcript to follow]