Budgetary revenue from the state capital operations of local governments is projected to be 89.47 billion yuan, down 5.5% from last year. Adding in the 36 billion yuan of transfer payments from the central government's state capital operations budget, total budgetary revenue from local government state capital operations will be 125.47 billion yuan. Budgetary expenditures on local government state capital operations are estimated to be 106.782 billion yuan, up 29.2%. This increase is primarily due to a rise in transfer payments allocated from the budgets of the central government's state capital operations for the purpose of helping relieve SOEs of their obligation to provide water, electricity, heating, gas, and property management services to their employees' homes as well as advancing the reform of collectively owned businesses operated by SOEs. A projected 18.688 billion yuan is to be allocated to local government general public budgets.
Combining the state capital operation budgets of the central and local governments, budgetary revenue nationwide is projected to be 229.47 billion yuan, down 10.4% from last year. Adding in the 39.723 billion yuan carried over from last year, total budgetary revenue from state capital operations nationwide will be 269.193 billion yuan. Budgetary expenditures on state capital operations nationwide are expected to be 225.905 billion yuan, up 23.3%. A projected 43.288 billion yuan will be transferred into general public budgets.
4. Budgets for social security funds
Revenue into social security funds nationwide is projected to be 4.714419 trillion yuan, up 5.6% from last year, which includes 3.437659 trillion yuan from insurance premiums and 1.084804 trillion yuan from government subsidies. Expenditures from social security funds nationwide will total 4.354653 trillion yuan, up 10.6%. With a projected surplus of 359.766 billion yuan this year, the year-end balance will be 6.06 trillion yuan after the balance from 2015 has been rolled over.
It should be noted that as local budgets are formulated by local people's governments and submitted for approval to the people's congresses at their respective levels, the relevant data is still in the process of being compiled. As such, the above-mentioned figures for local revenue and expenditures have been compiled by the central finance authorities.
For a detailed account of the budget arrangements related to the above items, please refer to the 2015 Nationwide Budget Execution Report and draft 2016 Nationwide Budget of the People's Republic of China.
In accordance with the Budget Law, after the beginning of a new financial year and prior to the approval of the drafts of the central and local government budgets by the National People's Congress, arrangements may be made for the following expenditures:
-- carryover expenditures from the previous financial year
-- basic expenditures and program expenditures of government departments and transfer payments to lower-level governments that must be made in the current year, after referring to the amount of budgetary expenditures for the corresponding period of the previous year
-- expenditures mandated by law
-- expenditures for dealing with natural disasters and other emergencies
In accordance with the above stipulations, in January 2016, expenditures in the central government's general public budget totaled 838.7 billion yuan, which includes 153.7 billion yuan spent at the central level and 685 billion yuan in tax rebates and transfer payments made to local governments.
III. Working towards Successful Public Finance Management and Reform in 2016
1. Implementing the Budget Law
We will work faster to unveil the revised Implementation Regulations of the Budget Law at the earliest possible time so as to strengthen the institutional foundation for law-based public finance management. We will expand efforts to ensure that budgets and final accounts are released to the public and accelerate the establishment of a transparent budget system. We will move ahead with mid-term fiscal planning by formulating the 2017-2019 National Mid-Term Fiscal Plan, and strengthen its role in guiding the formulation of annual budgets and constraining the appropriation of funds. In advancing the reform of budget performance management across the board, we will strengthen the management of performance targets, promote performance evaluation of key expenditures such as major special funds, apply evaluation results more effectively, and increase the sense of responsibility and attention to efficiency of those responsible for the utilization of public funds. We will make further improvements to the operating mechanisms for collections and payments through the centralized treasury system. We will actively assist in efforts to review and regulate key items for which budgetary expenditures are linked to increases in government revenue or expenditures or to GDP growth. We will organize trials of preparing comprehensive government financial reports and promptly improve relevant systems. We will work to instill a keen awareness of the need to tighten our belts, make every cent count, and appropriate funds to where they can be used most efficiently. We will strictly observe relevant rules and regulations on refraining from extravagance, practice thrift and economy throughout all activities, reduce or cut spending whenever and wherever possible, and put a resolute stop to extravagance and waste. We will improve the system of institutions for managing expenditures for official purposes, deepen reform of the government purchase card system, and move ahead with the establishment of a permanent mechanism for ensuring strict austerity and fighting waste. We will tighten up financial discipline, strengthen supervision over government funds earmarked for improving the wellbeing of the people, and comprehensively review the security of government funds.
2. Accelerating fiscal and tax system reform
We will unveil guidelines on the reform of the division of administrative authority and spending responsibilities between the central and local governments, which will be aimed at appropriately increasing the administrative authority and spending responsibilities of the central government, delegating to local governments the responsibility for affairs which are suitable for them, and minimizing the number of items for which there is overlapping responsibility or shared management between the central and local governments. This reform will be first carried out in selected areas. We will improve and at an appropriate time roll out the transitional plan for sharing VAT revenue between the central and local governments, providing a way to best arouse the enthusiasm of both the central and local governments. We will improve the mechanism linking transfer payments to local governments with the number of people from rural areas who have become permanent urban residents within their jurisdiction. We will complete the reform to replace business tax with VAT in all sectors. We will make adjustments to the scope, affected activities, and rates of excise taxes. We will press ahead with personal income tax reform towards a system that is based on both adjusted gross income and specific types of incomes. We will extend ad valorem rates to all resource taxes and straighten out relevant administrative charges and government-managed funds. We will implement a plan for adjusting import duties on items coming into China via personal baggage or by post, and introduce standard policies on retail import taxes arising from cross-border e-commerce. We will implement fiscal and tax policies that encourage enterprise innovation, supporting enterprises in increasing their R&D investment and helping strengthen the principal position and guiding role of enterprise innovation. We will continue to assist in the legislative work on a tonnage tax and an environmental protection tax.
