To beat the proliferation of unregulated taxis, the Beijing government has openly destroyed about 1,000 confiscated illegal taxis recently.

The cars, also known as "black taxis," are usually private cars that carry passengers illegally and without a business license.

Although "black taxis" sometimes overcharge their passengers, the destruction of these cars has been questioned in a commentary from the Beijing News.

The author argues that it is the car owners who have broken the laws, not the cars. Why should the cars be destroyed?

In fact, the parper says, many of these private cars are economical cars that have only been used for several years. It is a great waste to transform them into scrap iron and copper.

Beijing has 17 automobile dismantling factories. The largest one can dismantle 5,000 cars every year. But less than 3,000 cars in the city are dismantled and recycled every year.

The article says if the 1,000 cars were sent to professional dismantling factories, the cost would be much lower, and the parts could be recycled.

Another way to deal with the cars, according to the author, is to hold public auctions, and turn in the money to the state treasury.

To sum up, the article says, openly destroying the "black taxis" may be easy and eye-catching, but it doesn't benefit the country or the people.