CCTV:

It was emphasized at the recently held Central Economic Work Conference that we should accelerate efforts to build a unified domestic market. Can you share what tax departments have done and will do next to help in this regard? Thank you.

Rao Lixin:

Thanks for your question and I will answer it. The construction of a unified domestic market is fundamental and essential for the building of the new development paradigm. The tax departments have deeply implemented the Guideline of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Accelerating the Establishment of a Unified Domestic Market and taken strong and effective measures to truly perform their duties, actively advancing the building of a unified domestic market.

First, we have strengthened tax and fee policy certainty. Since 2023, in line with the decisions and deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the STA has worked together with the Ministry of Finance and other departments to issue documents in a timely manner to clarify 77 preferential tax and fee policies that have been extended, optimized, and improved. This helps further stabilize market expectations. We have also constantly improved the working mechanism for implementing preferential tax and fee policies, actively collected and replied to questions raised by taxpayers and fee payers, and responded to concerns from all respects in a timely manner. In 2023, focusing on the extended, optimized, and improved preferential tax and fee policies, the STA released a total of 115 replies to unify operations across different regions, enhancing the certainty in policy enforcement.

Second, tax law enforcement has been further standardized. We have revised and improved the Operation Specifications for Tax Collection and Administration, setting unified operation standards for taxation administration across the country. We have also dynamically updated the National Taxpayer Service Standard, providing basic taxation services in a unified way. Based on the system of benchmarks for administrative taxation penalty discretion by each province, we have promoted regional taxation authorities to jointly launch unified discretion benchmarks that are applicable to the whole region. The efforts cover regions such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the northeastern, southwestern, central-southern and northwestern regions of the country. Law enforcement information is shared and law enforcement results are mutually recognized, laying the foundation for the formulation of the unified national-level discretion benchmarks for administrative taxation penalties. Moreover, we have acted on fair competition review mechanisms and removed policy measures that hindered market unification and fair competition, working to create a fair and just taxation environment.

Third, we have enhanced the convenience of tax services. We have promoted tax-related services on an inter-provincial basis. Based on pilot programs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and other regions, we have implemented measures nationwide to facilitate tax services for corporate taxpayers applying for inter-regional (provincial) business relocation since April 2023. We have improved the handling procedures and cut the processing time to make it more convenient for enterprises to operate in different regions (provinces). We have developed an interactive service mechanism for tax administration with features including "precise information push, intelligent interaction, collaboration between inquiring and handling, and whole-process interaction." Channels for tax business handling and tax consulting services have been streamlined to ensure enterprises are able to receive intelligent, efficient, targeted and convenient services in a timely manner. In 2023, we provided taxpayers with interactive services a total of 10.91 million times. We used the internet to deliver video Q&A sessions, where we answered online, face to face taxpayers' questions on policies, procedures and other issues, achieving "one person answers questions for the benefit of many." In 2023, we held 2,324 video Q&A sessions and answered 267,000 questions. These sessions were watched nearly 6 million times.

Next, the tax authorities will thoroughly implement the arrangements and requirements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on accelerating the establishment of a unified domestic market, carry out administrative law enforcement in a strict, standardized, impartial and civilized manner, continue to improve the tax collection and administration system, strictly investigate and handle cases involving tax-related issues in investment promotion activities, and help boost the building of a unified national market that is efficient, standardized, open and allows fair competition. Thank you.