Wen Jiabao: most regions can cancel the agricultural special product tax

Introduction: the State Council recently held a teleconference on the pilot work of the national rural tax reform in Beijing RSU the State Council recently held a teleconference on the pilot work of the national rural tax reform in Beijing Wen Jiabao, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech He pointed out that the central government decided to launch the pilot work of rural tax reform nationwide in 2003, which is a major decision to deepen rural reform and promote rural development To push forward the pilot work of rural tax reform in an all-round way, we should take the important thought of "Three Represents" as the guide, earnestly implement the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, take the goal of completely reducing the burden of farmers and promoting the increase of farmers' income, straighten out the distribution relationship among the state, the collective and the farmers, promote the reform of the rural superstructure, and establish the agricultural management system and operation suitable to the requirements of the socialist market economy To further liberate and develop rural productivity RSU Wen pointed out that the pilot work of rural tax reform has achieved remarkable results The burden of farmers has been greatly reduced, and the rural tax system has been standardized The relationship between cadres and masses has been strengthened, the construction of rural grass-roots political power has been strengthened, and the rural social stability has been maintained In the pilot reform of rural taxes and fees, all regions have made bold exploration and practice and accumulated rich experience Practice has proved that the central government's decision on the reform of rural taxes and fees is completely correct and has won the heartfelt support of hundreds of millions of farmers RSU Wen stressed that the reform of rural taxes and fees is a major reform involving the overall situation We should pay attention to the study of new situations, solve new problems and constantly improve policy measures First, it is a basic policy orientation of rural tax reform to further reduce the burden of main grain producing areas and farmers We need to increase support for major grain producing areas, transfer payments at the central and provincial levels, and focus on major agricultural areas, especially major grain producing areas Second, the abolition of agricultural specialty tax should be another important measure to promote the rural tax reform Now most areas have the conditions to cancel the agricultural special product tax These areas can cancel the special product tax If a small number of areas cannot be cancelled for the time being, the scope of collection shall be narrowed, the tax rate shall be reduced and gradually cancelled Third, we should strictly grasp the policy boundaries The agricultural tax and its surcharges shall not exceed the upper limit of the tax rate stipulated by the state, so as to ensure that the burden level of every peasant household will be reduced after the reform, which should be taken as a hard lever In the new pilot areas and the first pilot areas, we must give priority to reducing the burden of farmers, ensure that the burden of farmers is significantly reduced and does not rebound, ensure the normal operation of township and village organizations, and ensure the normal needs of rural compulsory education funds Fourth, in accordance with the principles of simplification, unity and efficiency, we will accelerate the reform of township institutions and effectively transform the functions of the government We will deepen the reform of the county and township financial system and the reform of the educational management system In the future, the newly increased education, health and cultural funds of the state finance will be mainly used in rural areas Where conditions permit, we should gradually expand the implementation scope of the "one fee system" for rural compulsory education fees, so that more farmers can benefit.