【禁闻】中国个税调整 专家：难减贫富差距

【禁闻】中国个税调整 专家：难减贫富差距

【新唐人2011年4月23日讯】中国大陆财政部最近公布，将个人所得税起征点从目前的
每月2000元人民币，提高到3000元，同时将9级税率改为7级，这项调整可能在今年下半
年开始实施。不过，经济学家们指出，这次个人所得税的调整，对于缓解贫困和缩小贫
富差距影响其实并不大。

对于个人所得税起征点从2000元提高到3000元，有调查数据显示，88.6%的人表示应该
上调到5000元以上。中国著名经济学家茅于轼甚至认为，起征点应该提到8000元。

《欧洲时报》指出，对中低收入民众来说，起征点和税级的调整，对他们的收入水平影
响并不大。中国人除了缴纳个人所得税之外，其实更多还是在购买商品时包含在价格里
的消费税、增值税等间接税，对中低收入者相对负担更大。

此前，山东济南政协委员潘耀民提出，一个馒头里有高达17%的税收，引发了关注。 据
山东税收部门解释，中国没有"馒头税"，政府收的是"增值税"。

美国南卡罗莱纳州大学管理学教授谢田表示，山东税务部门的解释并不错，当地馒头被
征收的属于"增值税"。他分析说，增值税具有隐蔽的效果，但对消费者不甚公平：

谢田（美国南卡罗莱纳州大学管理学教授）："『增值税'有一个最大的不好之处就是对
中下层收入的人是不公平的，实际上是负担加重的。

大陆财政部数据显示，2010年"个人所得税"仅占中国总税收的6.6%，"消费税"和"增值
税"却占总税收的51.4%。其他"间接税"包括营业税、关税、土地税、资源税、城建税、
社会保障税等繁杂税种。

美国《福布斯》杂志2009年评出，中国税负痛苦指数名列全球第二，仅次于法国。
2010年中国的个人所得税收入为4837亿元。北京经济学者曹思源指出，中国65%的个人
所得税来自工薪阶层，这无异于"劫贫济富"。

但是，这次个人所得税调整，对于高收入群体来说幅度并不大。

《华尔街日报》文章指出，月薪10万2千元以上的税负，最高增幅只有5%左右。而
且，中国没有财产税，没有遗产税。富豪们大多通过权力和资源垄断，拥有大量的隐性
灰色收入。

中国学者程晓农："灰色收入主要指的是各级干部在工资收入以外的其他收入，包括接
受的贿赂，还有各种以馈赠名义赠送的礼，以及以『招待'的形式帮他支付的各种费
用，包括公费旅�、公费出国、包括帮他们国外的子女支付各种费用，这都算灰色收
入。所谓灰色是说这些收入从来不申报个人所得税。"

另一方面，英国《金融时报》4月21号指出，联合国的极端贫困标准是日收入不足
1.25美元，按照联合国的标准，中国大约有2.54亿人仍生活在极端贫困线以下，占中国
总人口的20%。

联合国有关组织将"基尼系数"0.4定为贫富两极分化、导致社会动荡的"警戒线"。中国
的"基尼系数"已从1987年的0.32升到2009年的0.47，超过国际警戒线的水平。而中国目
前的通货膨胀、物价飞涨，正在�一步加剧贫富两极分化。

新唐人记者李元翰、王明宇综合报导。

China to adjust personal income tax, experts: hard to narrow the wealth gap

China's Ministry of Finance recently announced thatpersonal income tax
threshold is raised fromRMB2000/month to RMB3000/month and tax ratesare
decreased from 9-grade to 7-grade. This changemight take effect by the
second half of year.But economists said, that this personal income
taxadjustment won't be effective to alleviate povertyor to narrow the
wealth gap.

As to the personal income tax thresholdwhich is raised from RMB2000 to
RMB3000,some survey data shows, 88.6% of the respondentsbelieve that the
threshold should be over RMB5000.Mao Yushi, a famous Chinese
economist,believed that the threshold should be RMB8000.

European Times said, the adjustment to tax ratesand threshold has little
effect on low and mediumincome groups' lives. Besides personal income
tax,Chinese people pay more in indirect taxes likeconsumption tax and value
added tax, which areheavier burdens to low and medium income groups.

Previously, Pan Yaomin, a CPPCC member in JinanCity, Shandong Province,
said that there is a 17% taxin a steamed bun, arousing concerns.
Butaccording to Shandong's tax administration, there isno "bun tax" in
China, but only value added tax.

Xie Tian, a professor of management at theUniversity of South Carolina in
US, said,the explanation from Shandong's tax administrationis tricky to
consider buns' tax as value added tax.He analyzed that value added tax is
not opento public and is unfair to consumers.

Xie Tian (professor of management at theUniversity of South Carolina in
US): "The trouble withvalue added tax is that it is to add burdens onlow
and medium income groups, which is unfair."

Data from China's Ministry of Finance shows, thatthe "personal income tax"
is only 6.6% of the totalrevenue in 2010, but "consumption tax" and"value
added tax" are 51.4% of the revenue. Other"indirect taxes" include sales
tax, tariff, land tax,resource tax, construction tax, social security tax,
etc.

According to US Forbes' report in 2009, Chinaranked second after France in
the tax misery indexlist. China's total personal income tax in 2010
was483.7 billion. A Beijing economist Cao Siyuan said,China's 65% of
personal income tax comes fromwage earners, which is to"rob the poor and
help the rich".

But this personal income tax adjustment haslittle impact on high-income
groups.

According to Wall Street Journal, the amplitude oftax burden is at most 5%
to those who earn overRMB102,000/month. Also, China does not haveproperty
tax or inheritance tax, meaning thatthe rich can have plenty of gray income
byusing power and resource monopoly.

Cheng Xiaonong, a Chinese expert, said:"Gray income means income besides
salariesof cadres at various levels, including bribe, gifts andvarious fees
paid by the name of "entertainment",like travels and tours abroad at public
expenseand their children's various fees in foreign countries.To call these
incomes gray is because theynever report personal income taxes."

On the other hand, UK Financial Times pointed outon April 21st, that
according to United Nations' (UN)standard of extreme poverty, China has 254
millionpeople (20% of the total population) who lives inextreme poverty
with less than $1.25 per day.

UN's related organizations set the "Gini coefficient"0.4 as a "warning
line" of polarization betweenrich and poor and social instability.
China's"Gini coefficient" has increased from 1987's 0.32 to2009's 0.47,
beyond the international warning line.The inflation and soaring prices in
current Chinaare further widening the wealth gap.

NTD reporters Li Yuanhan and Wang Mingyu 2011-04-23
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