Family planning fines reach 12.8 billion yuan

Fifteen provinces and regions in China imposed a total of 12.8 billion yuan ($2 billion) in fines last year for violators of China's family planning policy, according to a report by 21st Century Business Herald.

The policy stipulates that people who give birth to more children than is permitted by regulation will be fined.

Wu Youshui, a lawyer in Zhejiang province, wrote to various family planning committees and finance departments in 31 provinces and regions before this year's World Population Day on July 11 asking them for the number of fines imposed and how the fines were used last year. He asked for the fines to be made public.

Fifteen provinces responded with information about the fines they collected and the report states that the fines amounted to a total of 12.8 billion yuan. Sichuan province imposed the highest total of fines, at 2.4 billion yuan, the report said.

None of the provincial-level departments of finance submitted information on how the fines were used.

Wu had filed applications for administrative reviews to the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance, urging their agencies across the country to publicize information on the fines.