After the first-phase pilot reform on tax and fee, farmers and herdsmen in Tibet have been released 51-percent burden per capita.

The reform started in Tibet in August 2003 after the region was officially included into the reform.

In the first phase, all the voluntary workers and labor-collecting workers have been cancelled, and cross-village laboring was started to be paid; operation funds for village committees were added: five yuan per capita in the rural areas, six yuan in semi-rural areas and seven yuan in pastoral areas, and fiscal subsidy for officials in border villages were raised form 1, 500 yuan to 1, 800 yuan; fuel subsidy, 1, 000 yuan for each village teaching point for purchasing and maintaining solar cookers, was added; the standard of the fiscal subsidies for the households enjoying the five guarantees (childless and infirm old persons who are guaranteed food, clothing, medical care, housing and burial expenses) were raised from the original 900 yuan per capita to 1, 200 yuan.

Statistics from Department of Finance of Tibet Autonomous Region show, before the reform on tax and fee, Tibetan farmers and herdsmen were burdened with 107.3 yuan per year per capita, which, after the first-phase reform, has been cut by 51 percent to 56.01 yuan. The goal set by the central government to "ease, regularize and stabilize" taxes and fees was generally achieved.

By People's Daily Online