(单词翻译:单击)
The 60-article law was ratified2 by the lawmakers as they concluded their 11.5-day annual full session at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.
The voting result, announced by NPC Standing3 Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo, was warmly applauded by lawmakers. Four legislators did not cast their votes. The law is due to take effect on Jan. 1,2008.
Experts say the law marks an adjustment of China's policies toward foreign investment in the current times.
The law, which sets unified4 income tax rate for domestic and foreign companies at 25 percent, came after years of criticism that the original dual5 income tax mechanism6 is unfair to domestic enterprises.
Currently, the actual average income tax burden on Chinese companies is 25 percent, while that on foreign enterprises is 15 percent. Many people think such a policy forces domestic businesses to face tougher competition since China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.
"It's a basic requirement of the WTO to create a fair environment for competition, and the new unified income tax will, in a real sense, grant foreign investment the same treatment as domestic businesses," said Miao Gengshu, chairman of the China National Foreign Trade Transportation (Group) Corp.
Apart from increased income tax, foreign companies will also be wiped from some other tax incentives7, including pre-tax reduction and tax rebate8 for re-investment, in the future, insiders say.
China is gradually taking back preferential policies toward overseas-funded businesses, which have been levied9 the same tax as their domestic counterparts in the use of urban land from Jan. 1 this year.
Preferential taxation10 and land policies, which are described as "policies superior to national treatment", have always been important attractions to overseas investment since China began the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s.
"It's necessary to offer certain incentives to foreign investors during the initial period of the reform and opening-up, when China was stranded11 by the lack of capital, foreign exchange and an unsound market system," said Justin Yifu Lin, a renowned12 economist13 and a member of China's top political advisory14 body.
Generous tax incentives have fueled foreign capital influx15. China has been one of the world's top destinations for foreign direct investment, taking in 53.5 billion dollars in 2003, 60.6 billion dollars in 2004, and 60.3 billion dollars in 2006 in terms of the amount actually used.
But problems have surfaced along with China's rapid economic development. Dual income tax rates have incurred16 growing complaints from domestic enterprises, some of which even disguise themselves as overseas-funded enterprises to dodge17 tax, according to the Ministry18 of Finance.
Zhang Yansheng, director of the International Economic Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission, pointed19 out that China's situations have changed a lot over the years.
"Capital and foreign exchange no longer bottleneck20 China's economic development, and thus decline from the top goal of attracting foreign investment," Zhang said.
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1
investors
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| n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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ratified
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| v.批准,签认(合约等)( ratify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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unified
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| (unify 的过去式和过去分词); 统一的; 统一标准的; 一元化的 | |
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dual
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| adj.双的;二重的,二元的 | |
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mechanism
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| n.机械装置;机构,结构 | |
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incentives
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| 激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 ); 刺激; 诱因; 动机 | |
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rebate
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| v./n.折扣,回扣,退款;vt.给...回扣,给...打折扣 | |
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levied
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| 征(兵)( levy的过去式和过去分词 ); 索取; 发动(战争); 征税 | |
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taxation
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| n.征税,税收,税金 | |
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stranded
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| a.搁浅的,进退两难的 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的,有名望的,声誉鹊起的 | |
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economist
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| n.经济学家,经济专家,节俭的人 | |
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advisory
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| adj.劝告的,忠告的,顾问的,提供咨询 | |
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influx
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| n.流入,注入 | |
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incurred
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| [医]招致的,遭受的; incur的过去式 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开,躲开,避开;n.妙计,诡计 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部;牧师 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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bottleneck
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| n.瓶颈口,交通易阻的狭口;妨生产流程的一环 | |
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