Restaurant in China charging patrons for breathing clean air

Monday, December 14, 2015, 5:23 PM - A restaurant in eastern China has been caught adding an "air cleaning fee" to its customer's food bills, Xinhua news agency reports.

The restaurant in Zhangjiagang city, Jiangsu Province was apparently charging one yuan (approximately $0.21 CAD) per diner to cover the cost of providing clean air inside the establishment.

The owners of the restaurant recently purchased an air filtration system to help combat the thick smog that has been parked over the city, Xinhua reports, and passed the cost of the investment onto their customers without warning.

The local government stepped in after receiving complaints from angry patrons.

City officials deemed the charges were illegal, arguing that because it wasn't the diners' choice to breathe filtered air, it couldn't be "sold" to them.

Earlier this month, authorities in Beijing announced the first ever Red Alert for smog for the city. 

The U.S. embassy's Air Quality Index for the city showed a PM2.5 level of 266. PM 2.5 indicates particles that are 2.5 microns in diameter or less, making them more likely to become lodged in lungs.

The World Health Organization recommends a maximum daily level of 20 micrograms. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, levels higher than 300 micrograms per cubic meter are considered "hazardous."

While charging customers for fresh air may sound bizarre, it isn't a new concept.

In 2014, the Simon Bolivar International Airport of Maiquetia in Caracas, Venezuela began charging a levy of 127 bolivars (approximately $22 CAD) to fund the installation of an air conditioning system.

According to a statement on the airport's website, the cooling system rids the atmosphere of "contaminants" and circulates ozone in an effort to improve health.

This so-called "breathing tax" is applied to all domestic and international travelers at check-in.

Source: Xinhua