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Josephine Ma

China is attempting to curb excessive fees and duties imposed on farmers by introducing a 'sunshine policy' to inform the public of rural charges.

Noticeboards detailing the taxes and fees items incur have been erected in the countryside, while booklets detailing government policies and regulations are being distributed to farmers, Xinhua said.

Across the country, 425,000 notice boards had been installed, covering about 70 per cent of towns and 56 per cent of villages. A total of 54.24 million booklets also were handed out to farmers, the report said.

It said local cadres had to display government documents and telephone numbers for complaints. Farmers could refuse to pay for items not listed on the boards.

The State Development Planning Commission estimates that the new measures will reduce the financial burden on farmers in 23 provinces and municipalities by 7.4 billion yuan (HK$6.96 billion) a year.

Commission vice-minister Wang Yang said the new measures would help maintain stability in the countryside.

Tension is rising in rural areas because of arbitrary fees imposed on farmers by cadres. Mainland laws allow a wide array of local bureaus to collect money from farmers for purposes such as land administration, commercial activities, water and electricity supply, education, local social welfare and small infrastructure projects.

Farmers often are kept in the dark about how much they should pay and under what circumstances they can refuse to pay the fees.

Mainland media also has reported how in some cases local cadres previously confiscated booklets informing farmers of their rights as stated in government documents.

The latest move is part of a central government attempt to reduce the financial burden on farmers by introducing a standard tax to replace the fees.



Cadres put on notice to levy fair taxes