Beijing will levy a new tax on the discharge of volatile organic compounds from five major industries to further control air pollution by increasing its cost.

The new tax will cover over 2,000 companies from the five largest emitters - petrochemicals, furniture manufacturing, package printing, automobile manufacturing and electronics manufacturing - Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said on Tuesday.

The tax will take effect on Oct 1, said Wang Chunlin, head of pollution control at the bureau. The five major industries in the pilot project account for 80 percent of emissions.