In Brief
Philanthropist says the wealthy must contribute more to society
One of the mainland's leading philanthropists says wealthy people should surrender up to 60 per cent of the value of their property in death taxes, the Shandong Economic Daily reports. Chen Guangbiao, a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference member from Jiangsu who made his fortune in recycling, said the rich should contribute more to society, and it would be humiliating to die with a large amount of money. Mr Chen is listed among the country's top 10 philanthropists and said he had donated 475 million yuan (HK$539 million) in the past decade to help about 200,000 people.
Delegate calls for law on personal bankruptcy
In these times of financial failure, Mao Yonghong, a CPPCC delegate from Hubei, is calling on the central government to consider putting together a law on personal bankruptcy, Xinhuanet.com reports. Ms Mao said the government should establish a system to guarantee that individuals could maintain a basic living standard if their businesses failed. A personal bankruptcy law could also protect the rights of creditors by declaring debtors bankrupt if they deliberately sought to avoid paying them back.
Higher threshold on income tax urged to spur spending
Spend, spend, spend. That is what Beijing lawyer and CPPCC member Liu Hongyu claims people would do if the central government temporarily raised the threshold of personal income tax to 5,000 yuan to tide people over the financial crisis, People.com.cn reports. In her proposal, Ms Liu said that cutting income tax would have a bigger effect on personal wealth and spending than government investment. She said the government could raise the threshold from the current 2,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan for two years, and return to the original level if the economy improved after 2010.
Call for regular rain-making to relieve drought-hit areas
Artificial rainfall should become a routine practice in some drought-affected areas of the country, says NPC delegate Zong Qinghou. He said some areas in the north and northwest had endured many droughts, and occasional use of artificial rainfall could only ease that pressure. He said the rain-making efforts would not change the environment and would improve the quality of people's lives. He proposed that the nation's weather watchers create a team dedicated to inducing rain regularly, Chinanews.com.cn reports.
Move to stub out official spending on cigarettes
NPC member Xu Zhihui is hoping to snuff out official spending on cigarettes, calling for a ban on government bodies and state-owned companies outlaying any money on tobacco products, the Modern Express reports. Mr Xu, a Beijing lawyer, has investigated the issue for many years and says some luxury cigarettes sell for tens and even hundreds of times the price of regular brands. He says the high-end varieties are usually bought as bribes for officials or paid for with public money.
