Craving for a second child? Govt will dent your pockets

Wealthy families that violate the country's family planning policy by having more than one child may be subject to increased penalty fines from this year, an official said yesterday.

Deng Xingzhou, chief of the capital's family planning commission, said the penalties will vary "depending on the families' annual income", instead of the average per capita.

Currently, the fine, or "social maintenance fee" as it is called, is usually three to eight times the average income per capita in Beijing, which according to 2008 official statistics was 24,725 yuan ($3,600) for urban residents and 10,747 yuan for rural residents.