Self-employed businesses enter new era as regulation takes effect

《促进个体工商户发展条例》施行 新政提振市场信心

A major regulation to promote China's self-employed businesses came into force on Tuesday — and government officials and industry experts said it will greatly stabilize expectations of individual businesses amid COVID-19, and drive the real economy over the long term.

《促进个体工商户发展条例》11月1日起正式施行。政府官员和行业专家表示，这将在新冠疫情期间极大地稳定个体工商户的预期，从长远看将推动实体经济发展。

The regulation promises greater supportive policies, including on taxation, finance, employment, digital development and intellectual property protection, to individual businesses. It stipulates, for instance, that local governments should increase the supply of business premises and reduce costs like electricity and rents.

该条例承诺给予个体工商户在税收、金融、就业、数字发展和知识产权保护等方面更大的政策支持。例如，条例规定，县级以上地方人民政府应当采取有效措施，为个体工商户增加经营场所供给，同时降低电费和租金等使用成本。

"The move aims to inject practical impetus into individual or family-run small businesses, which play an irreplaceable role in promoting economic development, driving employment, increasing income, and facilitating people's lives," said Pu Chun, deputy head of the State Administration for Market Regulation, during a news conference on Tuesday.

国家市场监督管理总局副局长蒲淳在11月1日的新闻发布会上说：“此举旨在为个人和家庭形式开展经营活动的个体工商户注入实际动力。个体工商户在推动经济发展、带动就业增收、服务群众生活等方面发挥着不可替代的作用。”

"Notably, recent years have witnessed rising self-employed businesses from emerging sectors like livestreaming, micro-sized e-commerce and new media. They account for nearly 30 percent of the country's total self-employed households and offer new vitality into the market," he said.

“近年来，网络直播、微商电商、新媒体等新个体经济也发展迅速，已占到个体工商户总量的近三成，为我国经济注入了新活力。”

According to him, more than 111 million self-employed businesses were registered nationwide as of the end of September, accounting for two-thirds of the country's total number of market players. Up to 90 percent of them focused on the tertiary sector, including retailing, accommodation and catering, and residential services.

据介绍，截至9月底，我国个体工商户已经达到了1.11亿户，占市场主体总量的2/3。个体工商户在第三产业中占比近九成，集中在批发零售、住宿餐饮、居民服务等行业。

Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce and vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said that the measures included in the regulation are "timely and targeted".

中国国际经济交流中心副理事长、商务部原副部长魏建国说，条例中的措施是“及时和有针对性的”。

"It will greatly boost confidence and stabilize market expectations for these self-employed businesses, especially when many of them are facing difficulties in operating costs, recruitment, and getting loans amid the pandemic," Wei said.

他说：“这将极大地提振信心，稳定个体工商户的市场预期，特别是在许多个体工商户在疫情期间在运营成本、招聘和贷款等方面都面临困难的情况下。”

A survey provided by the administration to China Daily showed that since the beginning of this year, nearly 80 percent of individual households brought in an average monthly operating income of less than 10,000 yuan, which can only support basic living standards.

该中心向《中国日报》提供的一项调查显示，今年以来，近八成个体工商户月均营业收入在1万元以内，仅能维持基本生活水平。

"Compared with previous support policies, the new regulation emphasizes that the authorities concerned should not discriminate against self-employed businesses when putting forward policies, as such businesses, which are usually small in scale and have a limited voice, are vulnerable to discrimination from all aspects in their business activities," Wei said.

魏建国说：“与之前的扶持政策相比，新发布的条例强调，有关部门在制定政策时不应歧视个体工商户，因为这类企业通常规模较小，话语权有限，在经营活动中容易受到来自各个方面的歧视。”

Over the past few years, the government has launched a package of policies to support the development of self-employed businesses or cottage industries.

在过去几年中，政府推出了一系列政策，以支持个体工商户或家庭手工业的发展。

"A combined tax supporting policy will be implemented this year to further support self-employed businesses. Specifically, they can enjoy large-scale VAT (value added tax) refund policies like other enterprises," said Dai Shiyou, an official with the State Taxation Administration.

国家税务总局政策法规司司长戴诗友说：“今年将实施新的组合式税费支持政策，进一步加大对个体工商户的支持力度。具体包括：属于一般纳税人的个体工商户，与其他企业一样，可以按规定享受大规模增值税留抵退税政策。”

Dai said that from 2020 to the end of September this year, more than 1 trillion yuan worth of taxes and fees have been reduced for such groups.

戴诗友表示，2020年以来至今年9月底，已为个体工商户累计减税降费约一万亿元。

来源：中国日报

编辑：yaning

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