Vehicle or Boat License Plate Tax

This type of tax only applies to foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises, enterprises invested and established by the nationals and overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and so forth.  These taxpayers are the users of the vehicles or boats to be taxed.  Boats that are taxed with tonnage by customs authorities, according to the relevant regulations, are exempted from this type of tax.

The taxable amount standards for the vehicle/boat license plate tax respectively are 'taxable amount standards for vehicle license plate tax' and 'taxable amount standards for boat license plate tax'.  The taxable amount standard for vehicle license plate tax refers to the quantity or net tonnage of the taxable vehicles, while that for boat license plate tax refers to the net tonnage or burdening tonnage of the taxable boats.

Stamp Tax

Stamp tax refers to a tax levied on contractual documents that are established or accepted in the course of economic activities.

Those taxpayers  liable for stamp tax are enterprises, companies and individuals who have established or accepted taxable certification documents according to the tax law within China. The taxpayers for each type of contract are the contract establisher, that for property assignment credentials are the credential establishers, that for business accounting books are the establishers of the business accounting books and that for right and license certificates are the certificates obtainers.

There are 13 taxable items for stamp tax.  The amount of money recorded in the taxable certification documents or the number of account books shall be the basis for calculating the taxable amount.  The stamp tax is to be calculated and paid based on the applicable tax rate or taxable amount standard according to the relevant tax law.

Deed Tax

Deed tax refers to a type of tax levied on the assignee, when land or property rights ownership is being assigned.

The taxpayers of the deed tax are enterprises, companies or individuals transferring land or property rights ownership within China.

The abovementioned transfer of land or property rights ownership includes the following actions:

a) transfer of state-owned land-using rights;
b) transfer of land-using rights (including sale, bestowal and exchange of such and excluding that of sub-contractual operations right of rural collective land);
c) Sale, bestowal and exchange of property.

Transfer of land or property rights ownership in the following ways is deemed to be the transfer of land-using rights or sale/bestowal of property, which are to be levied for deed tax:

a )   Evaluation and investment as well as becoming a shareholder based on the  land or property rights ownership;
b)  Using the land or property rights ownership as repayment of debt;
c)  Receiving of land or property rights ownership as a prize;
d)  Receiving of land or property rights ownership by way of pre-purchase or prepayment for property construction fee for property to be built by raising funds.
e)  The deed tax is applicable to the 3% to 5% ranges of proportional  tax  rates,  with  specific  rates  to  be determined by the people's governments at provincial level within the specified ranges.

Urban Real Estate Tax

Urban real estate tax is to be paid by the property owner, or by the pledge receiver for the property being pledged.  If the property owner or the pledge receiver is not in the same city or the property right is yet to be acknowledged and the relevant lease/pledge disputes are yet to be settled, such tax shall be paid by the entrusted custodian or the user. Urban real estate tax including house tax and land tax, and land tax is not levied now.  At present, this type of tax is only applicable to foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises, foreign individuals, overseas Chinese and nationals from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. House tax and town land use charge is only   applicable   to   domestic-funded   enterprises, organizations and individuals.

Customs Duty

Customs duty is a type of tax levied on goods and articles entering or exiting China's borders.  The taxpayers for customs duty are the consignees of the goods allowed to be imported, and the consignors of the goods who have requested the goods be exported.  The former shall pay import tariffs and the latter, export tariffs.

Import tariffs are categorized into general tariff rate and preferential tariff rate.  The general tariff rate is applicable to imported goods originating from countries or regions without reciprocal agreements signed with China, (excluding those that have been specially approved by the Tariff Rules Commission of the State Council).  The preferential tariff rate is applicable to imported goods originating from countries or regions with reciprocal agreements signed with China.