zhonghongwang.com:

We have noticed that the tax departments have launched the TaxExpress brand for cross-border tax services. TaxExpress has received wide attention from both Chinese companies going abroad and foreign companies in China. Could you brief us on the latest progress? Thanks.

Meng Yuying:

Thank you for your question. 2023 marked the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. The tax departments took this opportunity to integrate and innovate, launching the TaxExpress brand for cross-border tax services. It aims to provide taxpayers with more professional, standardized, and internationalized tax services.

First, we have established distinctive brands, and the service matrix has begun to take shape. Since the release of the TaxExpress, all provincial-level tax bureaus in the country have created their own TaxExpress sub-brands based on regional characteristics, and have conducted a series of policy promotion activities and cross-departmental collaborative services. For example, in Zhejiang, the sub-brand TaxExpress-In Zhejiang has optimized the Belt and Road tax service projects and held policy promotion activities specifically targeting the RCEP for ASEAN. In Shandong, the sub-brand TaxExpress-Tax Home has cooperated with the provincial overseas Chinese federation, commerce department, and the Foreign Affairs Office to release the Proposal for Cross-border Tax Service Alliance and introduced six service measures, including the establishment of innovative practice bases.

Second, we have set up expert teams to address difficulties and problems. The STA and provincial tax bureaus have set up cross-departmental expert teams to collect complex issues through field research and discussions with enterprises. And they actively resolved the tax-related demands of cross-border taxpayers. For example, in response to the tax-related certification requirements of Chinese companies for the U.S. FDA Medical Small Business Qualification and Certification, local governments have been encouraged and guided to innovate their working methods and optimize processing procedures. Yesterday, the STA held a seminar with foreign chambers of commerce in China to further collect tax-related demands of foreign enterprises and assist in resolving difficult issues.

Third, we have improved the service mechanism and ensured smooth channels of communication between the tax authorities and enterprises. A national 12366 cross-border tax service hotline has been launched, providing tax-related consultation services in both Chinese and English 117,000 times for both Chinese companies going abroad and foreign companies in China. We have launched an English intelligent voice system providing round-the-clock real-time customer services by online virtual agents. At the same time, we used information technology to send tax policies in a targeted way and delivered country (regional) specific investment tax guides and the statements of benefits of tax cut and fee reduction to over 130,000 cross-border taxpayers throughout the year.

Fourth, we have updated our knowledge products and are now providing one-stop services for cross-border investment. The service brand "Shuilutong" has introduced four cross-border investment and taxation knowledge products. These include investment and taxation information for 105 countries and regions, 99 overseas taxation items, 15 overseas taxation cases, and 34 frequently asked questions by cross-border tax and fee payers. These products are available on the official website of the State Taxation Administration and in the "Belt and Road" section of the WeChat account "Shuilutong Tax Services."

In 2024, tax departments will continue to expand the services of "Shuilutong," deepen research on tax policies of various countries and regions, assist enterprises with overseas business in utilizing tax policies and tools, implement preferential taxation policies for foreign-invested companies, and contribute to high-level opening up. Thank you.