Kazakhstan's Nascent Auto Industry Thrives Amid Controversy

The Kazakh government has decided to keep a controversial fee in place for imported autos. Officials say the fee generates revenue for a recycling program that scraps durable goods, including cars, in an environmentally responsible manner. Critics, however, contend that the fee is achieving the opposite of its intended effect by keeping high-polluting junkers on the road because it puts newer, imported cars out of the financial reach of many Kazakhs. A citizens’ initiative group submitted a petition containing more than 50,000 signatures…