LETTER ON POLICY QUESTION RELATED TO EXPORT GOODS OF ENTERPRISEWITH FOREIGN INVESTMENT
LETTER ON POLICY QUESTION RELATED TO EXPORT GOODS OF ENTERPRISEWITH FOREIGN INVESTMENT
(State Administration of Taxation: 12 October 1994 Coded Guo ShuiHan Fa [1994] No. 558)
Whole Doc.
To Jiangsu Provincial State Tax Bureau:
We have recently acknowledged the receipt of letters written to
Director Liu Zhongli by Far East, Toyotas and eight other enterprise with
foreign investment in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, saying that
because the export goods of enterprise with foreign investment are not
given tax reimbursement, these enterprises have faced a series of
difficulties and have even suffered losses, demanding that the export tax
reimbursement policy be materialized as quickly as possible. Similar
opinions have been heard from other localities. Regarding this, we hereby
specially make the following explanations, please do proper work with
related enterprises respectively by the verbal method.
With regard to the question of taxation related to the export goods
of enterprise with foreign investment, the Ministry of Finance and the
State Administration of Taxation had made explicit stipulations in the
August 25, 1994 Circular Coded Cai Shui Zi (94) No. 058. Its main contents
are: The goods produced by enterprise with foreign investment which are
exported directly are, except otherwise there are separate stipulations,
exempt from value-added tax and consumption tax; goods sold to domestic
export-oriented enterprises or entrusted to domestic export-oriented
enterprises with exporting shall all be regarded as goods for internal
sales, and value-added tax and consumption tax shall be levied on them;
among the goods for direct export, the amount of tax borne for the
purchase of domestic raw and semi-finished materials shall not be
refunded. The above-mentioned stipulations are set down in line with the
principle of introducing fair burden to facilitate equal competition among
various types of enterprises and maintaining the continuity and stability
of the taxation policy. Specifically, maintaining the original tax
exemption policy toward the export goods of enterprise with foreign
investment is based on an overall consideration of the comprehensive level
of tax burden on enterprise with foreign investment and domestic
enterprises, it is so determined in order to facilitate a gradual
achievement of a rough balance of tax burden.
At present and for a period of time to come, enterprise with foreign
investment are enjoying preferential tax policy in many aspects, their tax
burden is much lower than that for similar domestic enterprises.
Firstly, from January 1 of this year, China introduced major reform
of its tax system. After implementation of the new tax system, a unified
turnover tax system was carried out among enterprise with foreign
investment and domestic enterprises, the tax burden on various trades or
products has become more rational. However: to ensure that tax burden on
enterprise with foreign investment will not increase as a result of tax
system reform, so as to maintain the continuity of policy, the Standing
Committee of the National people's Congress on December 29, 1993 passed a
decision that the increased tax burden on enterprise with foreign
investment due to implementation of the new turnover tax system and that
the part of extra tax payment shall be returned within five years, thereby
enabling the tax burden on enterprise with foreign investment to remain at
a relatively low level within the prescribed period.
Secondly, after the launch of tax system reform this year, enterprise
with foreign investment have continued to implement the Income Tax Law of
the People's Republic of China on enterprise with foreign investment and
Foreign Enterprises adopted by the National People's Congress in April
1991. In accordance with the stipulations of the law, enterprise with
foreign investment enjoy a number of preferential policies superior to
those for Chinese- funded enterprises in terms of income tax payment, the
level of their tax burden is much lower than that of domestically funded
enterprises.
Thirdly, in accordance with related stipulations of the state, some
special preferential policies, enjoyed by enterprise with foreign
investment for their import goods during the time when consolidated
industrial and commercial tax was being implemented, continue to be in
force.
From the above-mentioned points it can be seen that the state grants
fully preferential taxation treatment to enterprise with foreign
investment and their tax burden is obviously lower than that for domestic
enterprises. Fair tax burden refers to tax burden in general, one should
not see the weight of tax burden of only one certain link. The reason why
the tax exemption policy, rather than the tax reimbursement policy, is
implemented for enterprise with foreign investment in relation to their
export goods is that the above-mentioned situation has taken into
consideration and the principle of both maintaining the original rational
preferential taxation policy and facilitating the gradual realization of a
rough balance of tax burden on various types of enterprises. We believe
that doing so is beneficial to gradually unifying the state's taxation
policy, promoting equal competition among various types of enterprises and
proceeding to boost the development of the market economy.
assed a
decision that the increased tax burden on enterprise with foreign
investment due to implementation of the new turnover tax system and that
the part of extra tax payment shall be returned within five years, thereby
enabling the tax burden on enterprise with foreign investment to remain at
a relatively low level within the prescribed period.
Secondly, after the launch of tax system reform this year, enterprise
with foreign investment have continued to implement the Income Tax Law of
the People's Republic of China on enterprise with foreign investment and
Foreign Enterprises adopted by the National People's Congress in April
1991. In accordance with the stipulations of the law, enterprise with
foreign investment enjoy a number of preferential policies superior to
those for Chinese- funded enterprises in terms of income tax payment, the
level of their tax burden is much lower than that of domestically funded
enterprises.
Thirdly, in accordance with related stipulations of the state, some
special preferential policies, enjoyed by enterprise with foreign
investment for their import goods during the time when consolidated
industrial and commercial tax was being implemented, continue to be in
force.
From the above-mentioned points it can be seen that the state grants
fully preferential taxation treatment to enterprise with foreign
investment and their tax burden is obviously lower than that for domestic
enterprises. Fair tax burden refers to tax burden in general, one should
not see the weight of tax burden of only one certain link. The reason why
the tax exemption policy, rather than the tax reimbursement policy, is
implemented for enterprise with foreign investment in relation to their
export goods is that the above-mentioned situation has taken into
consideration and the principle of both maintaining the original rational
preferential taxation policy and facilitating the gradual realization of a
rough balance of tax burden on various types of enterprises. We believe
that doing so is beneficial to gradually unifying the state's taxation
policy, promoting equal competition among various types of enterprises and
proceeding to boost the development of the market economy.
|