Chinese taxes

where and who?






Here is the transcipt of the video in case things moved too fast and where too unbelievable...

Is year 2012 the end of the world? We will know about it very soon…Before that, as long as the earth is still spinning, you, have to pay tax.

Tax revenue and other non-tax income are collectively called fiscal revenue. And money has to be spent, right? Then do you have any idea WHERE taxpayers’ money has gone?

“I need to build houses.” “I need to build roads.” “I need to buy cars.” “I need mistresses.” “I…need ‘em all!” -_-|| Don’t worry. There must be some plan for spending money. The formal name of such a plan is “Budget Plan.”

In Chicago, USA, the government needs 7 months to draw up its budget for the next year. Besides, it has to be put to the test by various public hearings. The budget deal can’t be reached?! Government shutdown! This is so not harmonious! The budget plan made public by Chicago’s government runs as many as 600 pages. Anyone can find it on the Web, through media or paperwork.

In China, we also need about half a year to draw up the budget for… the current year…And the budget plan in print hardly runs more than 20 pages, and it always passes muster…

In many countries, a government budget can be visually seen. Moreover, each year, each taxpayer receives from the tax department a list detailing what the taxpayer’s money is used for and how much, rounded to the nearest 100th. How considerate the service is! But here, in our country, taxpayers and their money are in two different universes. So, if you also sit at home, expecting a tax list delivered to you… “Time to take mental health medications~ Dear~”

In 2010, government expenses of our country approached 9 trillion RMB (1.33 trillion USD), 1.6 trillion RMB (237 billion USD) of which was the central government’s spending. It fell into 25 categories. However, the most heart-rending part is…Category 26: “Three Public Expenditures,” which are the legendary…food and entertainment, overseas trips and vehicles purchases on the government’s dime. In 2011, 95 out of the 98 central government agencies disclosed their “Three Public Expenditures” of the previous year. The total amount was 9.47 billion RMB (1.4 billion USD). State Administration of Taxation, which reported the biggest “3 publics” figure among them all, spent 2,214 times as much as State Bureau for Petitions did, which placed at the bottom.

The expense for food and entertainment of Red Cross China was only 150,000 RMB (22,230 USD). They did spend 10,000 RMB on a single meal (News here). So the money was merely enough for 2 weeks! What did they have for the other 50 weeks?

In 2010, the local governments at all levels spent about 7.3 trillion RMB (1.08 trillion USD). It fell into 23 categories. The biggest among them was spending on education, 1.2 trillion RMB, representing a 721 percent increase over year 2000. However, what is really puzzling is, in this decade, the number of elementary schools in rural China dropped almost by half. They even ousted 448,000 substitute teachers during this time.

In many places, government buildings become their landmarks. How magnificent, imposing and sumptuous they are! The government office building of a certain county takes up 40,000 sqm (9.88 acres, or 430,556 sq ft), which is equal to the land area of 8 White Houses, and have enough office space for 2,180 county heads. But such an expense is categorized as “general public service.” Then, how much is the “Three Public Expenditures” of local governments?

。。。。。。。。。。。

According to stats, in 2004, China’s administrative expenditure was 1.2 trillion RMB. The figures for other years remain a secret. Providing all primary and secondary schools with school buses costs 460 billion RMB. Providing universal free health care costs 160 billion RMB. How great it would be if all money were spent on these! “Time to take your meds again…Dear~”

The end of each year marks the season for discounts, Christmas, and time to rush spending as well. Suppose a work unit had a budget of 1 million RMB last year, and spent only 800,000 this year, then all the 200,000 saved at year-end will have to be handed over to the state, and the budget for the next year will be cut to 800,000. That’s why each year there’s the important year-end task of rushing spending. As for how to rush it…Ahem~Sorry, it’s a secret.

The good news is, a draft revision to the Budget Law has been passed by the State Council and will be handed over to the National People’s Congress for review.

Wait a sec, under “expenditure” of the budget, there’s a category called “Other,” which amounted to 270 billion RMB (40 billion USD). What the heck is this “Other expenditure?”

[Children's song]
I just won’t tell you!~ *3

[This video is dedicated to you, me, and them, who have the right to know and supervise, and yet are nothing but frogs in a well with limited view.]

[All the statistics come from the Web, the media and China Statistical Yearbook. For reference only.]

Carpe diem!