China's reform roadmap gets clearer

Foreseeing tough combat to come in the year's resource tax reform, Jia Kang said reforming resource taxes will impact the allocation of basic economic resources and have a direct bearing on the development of China's market economy.

"The resource tax reform will be a substantial move to implement the Party's Outlook on Scientific Development and to optimize the country's financial and tax system," in Jia's view.

This year, the Ministry of Finance has planned to broaden experiments on property taxes, deepen national debt management and use more taxation leverage to support the private economy.

It will also report its first social security fund budget to the first session of the 12th NPC.

Ye Qing from Hubei said that a deepened fiscal system reform is the premise for China to advance reforms in other spheres.

"Thorny issues such as the wealth gap and corruption can all be associated with the waste and irrational use of public finance. I hope the upcoming two sessions can help the government unveil reform details on individual income tax, property tax and estate tax," he said.

Another eye-catching agenda at the upcoming NPC session relates to the institutional restructuring of the State Council as a draft approved at the second plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be deliberated by legislators.

According to the draft, the restructuring is to transform government functions, streamline administration and delegate power, improve efficiency and carry out super-ministry system reforms.

Looking to the future challenges, Chi Fulin said no reforms are risk-free. To minimize risks and maximize gains from economic restructuring and urbanization, the government must transform its functions and make new breakthroughs in reforms, he said.

"The key is to redefine the relationship between government and the market, and the relationship between government and the society," said Chi.

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2013 NPC & CPPCC