The Chinese government announced Friday it will waive or reduce the administrative fees it levies on some of the industries affected by the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The reduction involves more than a dozen categories of fees levied both by the central and local governments. The beneficiaries include restaurants, hotels, trading markets, and tourism, entertainment, civil aviation, road transportation, water transportation, taxi and bus industries.
The State Development and Reform Commission said in a press release the fee reduction is effective from May 1 to September 30.
The commission said enterprises whose income goes to the central government will have the fees for pollutant emission and maintenance of trunk waterways along the Yangtze River waived and the charge on annual examination exempted from their registration fee.
For enterprises whose income goes to localities, the authorities of various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are responsible for deciding whether to waive or reduce these fees, the commission said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2003)
