Law Amended to Protect Taxpayers' Privacy

The amendment draft of the Law on the Administration of Tax Collection tightens the supervision of tax collection departments, said Hu Guangbao, vice-chairman of the Law Committee of China's top legislature.

The amendment draft was submitted Tuesday to the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top law-making body, for deliberation.

Tax collection departments are allowed to investigate a citizen's account only when that citizen is suspected of tax evasion, as an effort to protect taxpayers' privacy, according to the amendment draft of the law. The original version of the law did not have such a clear guideline.

The amendment draft also stipulates that no individual or organization is permitted to collect tax except qualified tax-collection departments, or they will be punished according to the law.

Some illegal taxation practices are still found and thus more rigid regulations are imposed on tax collectors, said Hu.

According to the draft, tax-collection departments have to pay for the economic losses and other expense caused by their illegal practices.

The amendment draft was for the third time submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for review. According to the conventional practices of the NPC, a draft amendment has to go through three reviews before being put to the vote.

(Xinhua 04/24/2001)