China to push forward law-based taxation reform: spokesman

BEIJING -- China will push forward law-based taxation reform and press ahead with its legislative agenda, a spokesperson for the annual session of the country's top legislature said Sunday.

Chinese lawmakers will work on the legislation of taxation including farmland occupation tax, vehicle purchase tax and resource tax this year, Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), said at a press conference.

The top legislature will also revise the law on the administration of tax collection, he told the press.

Any new tax can only be levied by the law, and the existing tax regulations will either be elevated into laws or terminated before 2020, according to China's time frame and blueprint for the law-based taxation reform.

China has so far created or modified six laws on taxation, including laws on environmental protection tax, tobacco leaf tax and ship tonnage tax.

The NPC Standing Committee will urge government departments to draft laws on taxation and submit them to the committee for review, said Zhang.