Individual tax deadline postponed

By Gu Jia (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-03-27 13:56

China's top taxation authority has extended the deadline of filing individual tax return to Monday as it has received reports from no more than 20 percent of high-income earners by yesterday.

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The State Administration of Taxation has received more than 800,000 tax return reports by March 19, and the figure reportedly surpassed one million by yesterday, Shanghai Morning Post said today.

However, the administration recorded six million to seven million people who earned 120,000 yuan (US$15,000) or more in China last year, said An Tifu, a economic professor with the People's University of China.

The tax return policy, which began on January 1 this year, requires high-income people to file an individual tax return to authorities from January to March each year.

The high-income 120,000-yuan threshold includes salary, royalties and dividends, in the previous taxable year, according to the policy.

According to Chinese law, people who miss the deadline will face a fine of up to 10,000 yuan. Tax evaders will face a fine of up to five times the tax payment evaded.

This year's deadline, March 31, falls on Saturday, and it has been postponed to Monday, which is April 2.

While the administration still worries that the rest may fail to meet the extended deadline.

It warns people who should file a tax return not to evade their duty as they will be tagged as lacking credibility, which may shadow their future personal credit records.


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