The Guangdong Local Taxation Bureau will attach greater
importance to the establishment of a long-term mechanism for
sustained taxation growth, the establishment of a platform for
high-efficiency and low-cost taxation administration, improvement
of service, development of human resources, and a good equation
between taxation and payment in the 11th Five-Year Guidelines (2006-10), a senior
local official said.
China now adopts a dual taxation system, with local taxation
contributing to local fiscal expenditures and state taxation going
into the state coffers. At a recent conference on the province's
local taxation, Wu Shengwen, director of the provincial local
taxation bureau, urged the local taxation departments in the
province to tap new growth areas.
He also called for digital and scientific administration of
taxation for the improvement of administration efficiency, tax
collection efficiency and reduction of taxation cost among the
local taxation departments across the province.
Besides, he said, the provincial local taxation bureau will
continue to abide by the principle of collecting taxes according to
laws and improve services for taxpayers by honing the service
awareness of the taxation staff and redoubling efforts to publicize
taxation policies.
"Good taxation work boils down to quality staff," he said.
"Heads of taxation bureaus at different levels should do more for
improving the quality of taxation staff."
Wu said that the bureau would set up a more effective incentive
mechanism to motivate taxation staff and also offer training
programs.
He said that harmonious relations between tax collectors and
taxpayers are very important for the formation of a harmonious
society.
Official statistics indicate that Guangdong has occupied a top
position in the nation's local taxation sector for 12 years
consecutively and the province has outstanding advantages in
taxation, management systems, information technology development,
taxation administration and supervision, and taxation service.
The tax revenues collected by the provincial local taxation
bureau stood at 135.13 billion yuan (US$16.66 billion) in 2005, an
increase of 17 percent from 2004.
The Pearl River Delta cities contributed a handsome share of the
total taxes levied last year.
Social pensions collected in the province (excluding Shenzhen)
were worth 47.8 billion yuan (US$5.89 billion) in 2005, up 18.8
percent from a year ago.
Statistics from the State Administration of Taxation show that
Guangdong's local taxation had surpassed 400 billion yuan (US$49.32
billion) by late 2005, followed by Shanghai, Jiangsu, Beijing,
Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaoning and Tianjin. Director Wu said, "We are
confident in making new headway in the 11th Five-Year Guidelines
period."
In another development, Guangdong Local Taxation Academy
recently joined hands with the finance and taxation research
institute of Jinan University to set up a local taxation research
center in Guangzhou.
The center aims to become an important channel for innovative
taxation theory for the academy as well as a research platform for
the university.
About the bureau
Founded in 1994, the Guangdong Local Taxation Bureau is under
the dual leadership of both the provincial government of Guangdong
and the State Administration of Taxation.
Being a functional department of the provincial government, the
bureau is primarily responsible for the administration and
collection of 15 taxes including business tax, enterprise income
tax, foreign-invested enterprise income tax in the cities of
Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Dongguan, land appreciation tax and stamp
taxes, as well as social pension, education surcharge, and
construction fee for cultural
facilities.
(China Daily April 19, 2006)