Taxes need legal status to prevent the picking of people's pockets

File photo shows a seal placed on several 100 renminbi notes. The Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation has drafted a new law to create a permanent taxpayer identification number (TIN) for individuals. [Photo/IC]

Fu Ying, the spokesperson of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, said the NPC will push for the legalizing of taxes so the principle will be established by 2020 and all new taxes will be approved by the NPC or its Standing Committee. Comments:

Comprehensive legislation on taxes will not only promote social justice, it will also boost economic prosperity, because only when people are confident that no one can get their hands on their money without the backing of the law will they be motivated to produce anything. This is especially important for China today, as it is facing an economic slowdown and implementing accelerated reforms.

china.com.cn, March 5

When someone finds his property being taken away by a government agency without his consent, how can he trust the government to protect his rights? Being elected by citizens, the legislature can prevent certain government agencies from stretching greedy hands into people's pockets. We hope the NPC takes back the power to levy taxes from the Ministry of Finance, so as to better protect the rights of citizens and enterprises, which is its designed role.

Guangzhou Daily, March 5

When the NPC decided to entrust the State Council with the power to levy taxes in 1985, the move was reasonable considering the situation then. However, with the passing of time, the downside of this has become increasingly obvious, as the unlimited power to levy taxes has tended to violate people's interests and rights. The authorities are discussing new taxes such as a nationwide property tax and an environmental protection tax; without the legislature recovering the power over taxes there might be disastrous results.

Beijing Youth Daily, March 5

As early as 15 years ago, the Legislation Law clearly stated that the basic tax system must be established through legislation. However, by listing the adjustment of tax rates as "non-basic issues", the Ministry of Finance has turned the article into a scrap of paper and collected taxes without legislative approval. If the NPC means to take back the power of levying taxes, it needs to strengthen supervision this time to prevent history from repeating itself.

Beijing News, March 5