Xu Yanlian, a legislator from east China's Jiangxi Province, said
this weekend in Beijing that about one-seventh of her annual income
is spent on various taxes that she and other rural residents are
charged. On behalf of herself and other rural residents, Xu
deplored excessive taxation of farmers and applauded Premier Zhu
Rongji's call for reducing financial burdens on farmers.
Xu
Yanlian, a legislator from East China's Jiangxi Province, said at
the weekend that about one-seventh of her annual income is spent on
various fees that she and other rural residents are charged.
The fees go under a variety of names, ranging from "education
support," "bridge building and maintenance," "farming" and even
funds for "the safety of local community."
Xu
said: "I know that paying tax is an obligation as a citizen, but
the point is that I am bombarded with different kinds of fees under
diverse names. And many of them are charged for no reason."
Beijing has shown a sympathetic ear. A pilot project has been set
up in East China agricultural stronghold that is Anhui Province,
where farmers may pay a flat agriculture-related tax instead of a
mixture of tax and administrative charges.
If
the project works well, the central government may introduce it
into the whole of rural China.
Xu
added: "I am quite cheered up by the fact that Premier Zhu Rongji
stressed that the financial burdens on farmers should be
reduced.
"If they have to pay so many bills, how can they feel free to
consume such items as home appliances and clothes?"
But Su Zaixing, a legislator from Xinhe village in Northeast
China's Heilongjiang Province, said he was concerned that more and
more farmers are giving up farming and moving to big cities for
work as crop prices drop and the cost of working farmland
rises.
The prices of various crops dropped by between 10 per cent and 30
per cent since five years ago as bumper harvests reduced the price,
he said.
"Farming is not that profitable nowadays as we have little idea of
how to tap technology for high-yield products, so turning to cities
is a better option," said Su.
He
called on the government to spearhead more research into advanced
seeds and to teach farmers how to compete in the global market.
Su's idea was supported by Dong Shuzhen, a legislator from Yongfeng
village in Northwest China's Gansu Province, one of the most
poverty and drought-stricken regions in China.
Dong's village of 3,562 people plants corn and potatoes for their
main source of income. The corn is sold for just 1 yuan (12 US
cents) per kilogram in the local market. Dong said city
supermarkets charge more than double that price and it is higher
still abroad.
But a lack of marketing knowledge and technological knowhow
adversely affects their sales to foreign markets.
Dong said her community is feeling the pinch of China's entry into
the World Trade Organization, which means imported corn and potato
products will eat into the local economy.
"The foreign corn and potatoes are beautifully shaped and
well-presented in a package and sold at a lower price, which will
push our sales into a tight corner," said Dong.
Xu
is considering a motion to bring more engineers to the countryside
and broadcast more TV programs giving agricultural advice.
Prior to her meeting in Beijing, Xu's fellow villagers joined her
in drafting a motion to set up a marketing organization that would
be responsible for finding sales channels outside the local
community.
Dong said she was confident there was a way out, despite the
hardship.
"We can plant one of our local specialities, which foreign
competitors cannot produce," said Dong. "Once we master the
technology and a marketing network, we can earn money."
(China
Daily March 11, 2002)