Chinese vice-premier stresses importance of solid fiscal, tax work

BEIJING -- Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng has called for solid work on fiscal and tax priorities, urging efforts to actively carry out policy research to ensure a good start to the country's 14th Five-Year Plan.

At a work conference held at the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences on Tuesday, Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed the importance of implementing proactive fiscal policies to effectively and orderly accomplish various tasks in the sector.

The working mechanism and policies should be improved to ensure sound operations at the grassroots level, while technological innovation should be further supported with increasing input into science and technology, Han noted.

Efforts should be made to improve the modern tax system, stabilize the macro tax burden, optimize the structure of taxation, and deepen the reform of the tax collection and management system.

Han also urged efforts to push for improvements of major social policies, including gradually raising the retirement age, advancing capacity reductions in key industries, and resolving local government debt risks.

The vice-premier called for research on macro policies, especially fiscal policies, to be strengthened to better serve the country's current priorities, which include achieving a carbon peak and carbon neutrality, improving property market regulation, and promoting the healthy growth of the platform economy.