China to improve laws to encourage philanthropy
( 2003-11-10 21:45) (Xinhua)
China will institute detailed
rules on charitable donations, introduce more tax incentives and improve
publicity to encourage philanthropy, a senior Chinese official said Monday.
Charitable donations have become an important source of funds and materials
in disaster and poverty relief and the government had to perfect laws and
regulations, cultivate charity organizations and establish incentives, said Yang
Yanyin, Vice- Minister of Civil Affairs.
Wang Zhenyao, director of the Disaster Relief Department of the Ministry of
Civil Affairs, said China had an effective and transparent donation management
and distribution system under the supervision of audit agencies.
But China still lacked an attractive tax incentive to encourage donations,
Wang said. He urged the legislature to improve laws to encourage donations and
further improve the management and distribution of donation.
Bai Chengyu, who has worked for the government on poverty relief since 1988
and is preparing a non-governmental organization (NGO) on rural development,
said a lack of long-term staff was a major problem for his association, which
had seven paid and three volunteer staff.
Inadequate organization of NGOs weakened their abilities to fulfill their
long-term commitments, said Deng Guosheng, deputy director of the School of
Public Policy and Management of Qinghua University, one of China's prestigious
universities.
Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju said China would cultivate more NGOs,
offer preferential support for enterprises entering China's social welfare
system and learn from other countries in a bid to expand public welfare.
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