People pay the vehicle purchase tax at the Nantong taxation bureau in the coastal city of Jiangsu province on Feb 11. [Photo/ntjoy.com]

The Nantong taxation bureau handled the registration of 1,416 new vehicles generating vehicle purchase tax revenue of 15.04 million yuan ($2.22 million) on Feb 11, the first weekday after the Spring Festival holiday.

A total of 320 million yuan in vehicle purchase tax was levied in Nantong in January, a year-on-year increase of 18.29 percent, according to the city’s taxation bureau.

The number of newly registered vehicles rose 25.8 percent to 22,582 compared to the same period last year.

Buying cars has become a new way to celebrate the Chinese New Year, as people’s living standards are improved, said Huang Biling, an official at the vehicle purchase taxation office, on Feb 11.