Full text: Report on China's central, local budgets(25)

(3) Central government tax rebates and transfer payments to local governments

Central government tax rebates and transfer payments to local governments will amount to 4.5101 trillion yuan, up 13%. This figure consists of 518.855 billion yuan in tax rebates, up 2.2%; 2.252619 trillion yuan in general transfer payments, up 23.1%; and 1.738626 trillion yuan in special transfer payments, up 5.2%. General transfer payments aimed at making basic public services more equally accessible will reach 858.365 billion yuan, which includes 107.5 billion yuan in awards and subsidies for implementing the mechanism to ensure basic funding for county-level governments, 37.1 billion yuan for priority functional ecological zones, and 27.765 billion yuan in awards to major grain-producing counties. General transfer payments for compulsory education will be 168.032 billion yuan; for basic pension benefits and subsistence allowances, 377.438 billion yuan; for the new rural cooperative medical care system, 106.348 billion yuan; for awards and subsidies to village-level public works projects, 25.309 billion yuan; and for reforming taxes and fees on refined petroleum products, 78.4 billion yuan.

An analysis of the above expenditures shows that in 2012 the central government will spend a total of 1.3848 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.8%, in areas that directly affect people's lives, namely education, medical and health care, social security, employment, guaranteeing adequate housing, and culture. Central government spending on agriculture, water conservancy, public transportation, energy conservation, environmental protection, urban and rural community affairs, and other areas that are closely related to people's wellbeing will amount to 1.5124 trillion yuan. Most central government tax rebates and general transfer payments to local governments will also be used to maintain and improve living standards. Appropriations from the central budget for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers will total 1.22866 trillion yuan, up 17.9%. This figure consists of 472.42 billion yuan of expenditure on agricultural production; 162.8 billion yuan in direct subsidies to grain growers, general subsidies for agricultural supplies, subsidies for superior crop varieties, and subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery; 531.39 billion yuan to develop rural education, health care, and other social programs; and 62.05 billion yuan for stockpiling agricultural products and associated interest payments. A total of 402.6 billion yuan will be appropriated for central government investment in capital construction.