The Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC) released the findings yesterday of a survey of public opinion on the increase in the minimum threshold for personal income tax, agreed by the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) on October 27.

From January 1, the monthly threshold will be raised from 800 (US$98.95) to 1,600 yuan (US$197.9) and SSIC conducted telephone interviews with 1,000 people in 10 cities across the country.

About 77 percent of interviewees supported the change, 4 percent were against and 19 percent indifferent. Those against were mostly from Guangdong, Beijing and Shanghai.

About 45 percent of those surveyed thought the revision was fair, while 29 percent thought it was not.

Some 46 percent thought it could not help bridge the gap between rich and poor, and 32 percent thought it could.

Asked whether opinions should be solicited through public hearings before amendments to laws are made, as took place in this case, 57 percent said yes and 14 percent no, with 29 percent noncommittal.

The revision has drawn the attention of most of the public and received wide acceptance, experts said.

However, they added that its effect on achieving greater fairness and narrowing the gap between rich and poor is still not universally recognized and that more efforts were needed in this area.

(China.org.cn by Yuan Fang, November 1, 2005)