China lifts 22.6 billion-yuan burden off township enterprises
(08/22/2001) (xinhua)

By June 30 this year, local governments and related departments in China had written off 26,798 items of unreasonable fee collection levied upon township enterprises, saving them 22.65 billion yuan (US$2.73 billion) since last year, sources with the State Council.

According to an official with the State Council office dealing with market order and the reduction of enterprises' burdens, China started to curb illegal levies and reduce the financial burdens on township enterprises as a major task last year.

The lifting of the financial burdens is aimed at rectifying the market order, and promoting rural economic development and social stability, the official said.

So far, the efforts to curb illegal levying and reducing the financial burdens on township enterprises has paid off, the official said.

The official said that the country has investigated and prosecuted 12,566 cases of illegal charging, unjustified penalty decisions and illegal apportions of miscellaneous fees, and disciplined 2,238 government employees involved since last year.

In order to improve management in this regard, all the local departments must abide by a system of "two certificates, one note, and one registration card," and the enterprises have the right to refuse to pay the charges if they do not see the two certificates issued by the related Office of Price Stabilization, the note issued by financial department of the government, and the registration card for enterprises, the State Council office said.

However, the official said, that burdens on township enterprises are still too heavy in some parts of the country, and provinces and departments at all levels should step up efforts in this regard, in a bid to set a favorable environment for the reform and development of the township enterprises, he said.

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