浙侨英频  CPC sets path to common prosperity

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Farmers load potatoes onto a carrier in Hongrui village of Pingluo county, Shizuishan, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, Sept 2, 2021. Pingluo developed potato planting industry in recent years to help local villagers increase income. [PhotoXinhua]

Agenda may usher in tax reforms, greater public spending, experts say

China's top leadership has set in motion an agenda for the nation to attain common prosperity, a move analysts said could usher in broader reform in the nation's tax system, heavier fiscal spending on public well-being and further expansion of middle-income groups.

More tangible progress toward common prosperity is one of the nation's key long-term targets through 2035, when China is expected to achieve basic modernization. Ensuring common prosperity for everyone is also a crucial goal of the world's second-largest economy as it endeavors to build a modern socialist country by the middle of this century－one of China's two centenary goals.

On Aug 17, a meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, which was chaired by President Xi Jinping, outlined steps to promote common prosperity through high-quality growth, calling for a phased approach to reach the target.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, underscored that common prosperity is an essential requirement for socialism and a key characteristic of the Chinese style of modernization.

Ma Guangyuan, an economist, said the meeting would go down in history, as it formally placed common prosperity on the agenda.

He noted that important gateways to common prosperity include the adjustment of overly high incomes through channels such as taxes, more help for low-income groups through the provision of stronger public benefits and the expansion of the middle-income group.

Even though China is the world's second-largest economy, its per capita GDP has just reached the global average. So the task of making the pie bigger remains daunting. Only with the pie becoming bigger, and with proper distribution, can we attain true common prosperity, Ma said.

Han Wenxiu, executive vice-minister of the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, said at a news briefing in late August that China will continue to make the wealth pie bigger and ensure its proper distribution in working toward common prosperity.

He explained that common prosperity, which is not the equivalent of robbing the rich to pay the poor－allows for the existence of income gaps. The fundamental aim is to encourage wealth creation through hard work and innovation.

We should avoid falling into the trap of welfarism, and we will not encourage those trying to get something for nothing or provide for lazybones, he said, adding that it is important to give full weight to the difficulty and complexity of work in this regard.

Strong emphasis

The Aug 17 meeting marked the first time that Xi had convened a special meeting to deliberate on common prosperity, an issue he has given strong emphasis to for a long time.

Since the Party's 18th National Congress in 2012, Xi has made strong appeals for common prosperity on numerous occasions, underlining the importance of sharing the benefits of growth with all people and pledging to lift the living standards of poor people.

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013 pledged to reform the income distribution system and promote common prosperity.

In a speech delivered at a study session attended by provincial and ministerial-level officials in January, Xi expounded on his vision to achieve common prosperity, saying that it is not only an economic issue but also an issue that matters to the foundation of the Party's governance.

We can never allow a growing disparity between the rich and the poor, or the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. Nor shall we allow the existence of an impassable divide between the rich and the poor, he said.

He stressed that work on this front cannot afford to be delayed, and the nation must take the initiative to solve problems such as the income gap and disparities between regions and between urban and rural areas.

(We need to) give the people a concrete feeling that common prosperity is more than a slogan, but a fact that they can see, feel and experience, he said.

As the nation completes its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and secures a complete victory in its fight against absolute poverty, enabling shared prosperity among all people has taken a more prominent position.

The nation is ready to adopt an action plan to promote common prosperity, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in April.

Zhejiang, one of China's most affluent provinces, has been designated a demonstration zone to explore new paths for common prosperity, accumulate experiences and serve as an example of the way the nation can tackle the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development.

Reform measures

Policymakers at the Aug 17 meeting laid out measures such as more inclusive and fair conditions to improve education levels and provide wealth creation opportunities for more people.

They highlighted the need to come up with stronger and more targeted steps in taxation, social security and payment transfers to boost the proportion of middle-income people in the population. The meeting also called for tailored measures to enable low-income earners to become middle-income earners, stronger measures to adjust excessively high incomes, protection of legal incomes and encouraging high-income individuals and businesses to contribute more to society.

Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at the Oxford Economics think tank, said the policymakers' emphasis on common prosperity is likely to be pursued principally by scaling up the existing reform directions of public services, taxes, labor protection and regulation. Common prosperity is about equality of opportunity, more and better access to basic public services, a fairer distribution of income, and encouragement of charity and donations, he said.

Long-discussed reforms and changes, such as the introduction of a property tax, will now get new impetus, he said. That would be welcome, as it could generate a stable income source for local governments, Kuijs said.

Jia Kang, head of the China Academy of New Supply-Side Economics, said the nation should research and push forward income and property tax reforms to drive common prosperity.

Yao Yang, dean of the National School of Development at Peking University, said in an interview with the Paper that fairer income distribution is only part of the push for common prosperity.

To enable more people to become middle income-class, a key priority for the nation is to raise the level of education, he said, adding that the introduction of a property tax and capital gains tax will contribute to income adjustment.

If we are to attain common prosperity, the top priority lies in education. To be more accurate, ensuring education equality is a key step, he said.

【背景阅读】

中央财经委会议释放共同富裕重要信号 权威专家详解基本原则和实现路径

从在高质量发展中促进共同富裕，到构建初次分配、再分配、三次分配协调配套的基础性制度安排，再到加大税收、社保、转移支付等调节力度并提高精准性……日前召开的中央财经委员会第十次会议将“研究扎实促进共同富裕问题”作为重要议题，引发广泛关注。接受记者采访的权威专家表示，会议释放了促进共同富裕的重大信号，明确了基本原则和实现路径。

会议强调，共同富裕是社会主义的本质要求，是中国式现代化的重要特征，要坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，在高质量发展中促进共同富裕。

“实现共同富裕是社会主义制度优势的重要体现。中国推进现代化发展的终极目标就是要为民族谋复兴和为人民谋幸福。扎实促进共同富裕体现了‘中国之治’的根本诉求。”中国国际经济交流中心经济研究部副部长刘向东对记者表示。

刘向东说，改革开放四十多年来，我国综合国力得到跃升，人民生活水平大幅改善，允许一部分人先富起来和先富带动后富发挥了重要的激励作用。党的十八大以来，我国完成了全面建成小康社会的伟大任务，为推动实现共同富裕奠定了良好基础。中央提出把促进全体人民共同富裕摆在更加重要的位置，体现出新发展阶段即迈向高质量发展征程中，要将共同富裕目标作为重要目标，把物质文明和精神文明提升到新高度。

浙江大学共享与发展研究院院长李实在接受记者采访时表示，中央财经委会议把促进共同富裕作为重要议题传递了重大信号。在李实看来，会议提出“构建初次分配、再分配、三次分配协调配套的基础性制度安排”是重要亮点，意味着未来三次分配将共同发力，从而进一步缩小收入分配差距，包括城乡差距、区域差距等。

李实认为，在高质量发展中促进共同富裕，意味着实现共同富裕不是一个简单的再分配过程，而是要在经济的逐步发展中实现“共享”。与此同时，实现共同富裕不能一蹴而就，要分阶段促进共同富裕。根据党的十九大报告，到2035年，全体人民共同富裕迈出坚实步伐，到2050年全体人民共同富裕基本实现。这也意味着实现共同富裕是个长期过程，不能急功近利、急于求成。

“要做到尽力而为量力而行。要在坚定不移推进的同时，更加实事求是、科学决策。”李实表示，实现共同富裕是个系统工程，必须全面谋划，制定更加细密的计划和措施，使得共同富裕能够扎实推进。各地也要警惕脱离现实、大干快上。

刘向东认为，实现共同富裕有很多约束条件和不确定性因素，必须因地制宜、循序渐进，根据禀赋条件和发展环境开展试点探索，如支持浙江建设共同富裕示范区就体现出在实现共同富裕上积极探索的姿态。“要一步一个脚印走扎实，有条件的地方发挥引领示范的先行者角色，没条件的地方积极创造条件，逐步向实现共同富裕目标迈进。”

会议指出，构建初次分配、再分配、三次分配协调配套的基础性制度安排，加大税收、社保、转移支付等调节力度并提高精准性，扩大中等收入群体比重，增加低收入群体收入，合理调节高收入，取缔非法收入，形成中间大、两头小的橄榄型分配结构。还强调，要加强对高收入的规范和调节，依法保护合法收入，合理调节过高收入，鼓励高收入人群和企业更多回报社会。要清理规范不合理收入，整顿收入分配秩序，坚决取缔非法收入。

“在促进共同富裕道路上，仍面临诸多不平衡不充分发展问题。当前区域、城乡居民收入差距仍然较大，农民增收渠道还不多。需要优化收入分配结构，培育更多中等收入群体，形成稳定的橄榄型分配结构，切实反映以人民为中心的发展思想。”刘向东表示。

刘向东说，实现共同富裕不是搞平均主义，而是在做好困难群体兜底保障基础上，采取更公平有效的激励措施，引导老百姓勤劳致富，对此要从法治角度保护好人力资本，使依靠创新和勤劳获得合理回报，同时通过税收调节手段抑制非劳动的高收入，营造公平公正的个人发展环境。

北京师范大学中国收入分配研究院研究员朱梦冰对记者表示，实现共同富裕，关键要处理好公平与效率的关系，构建初次分配、再分配、三次分配协调配套的基础性制度安排。

朱梦冰认为，在初次分配领域，一方面，要承认各种生产要素参与生产和分配的合法性和合理性，各种生产要素获得的报酬是由市场来决定的，要素价格由竞争性的要素市场来决定。另一方面，政府要制定相应的政策和制度以规范不完善的生产要素市场，取缔非法收入，构建公平合理又兼容效率的初次分配制度。

在再分配领域，加强收入再分配政策的调节力度，比如调节税收结构中重间接税、轻直接税的比例，增加公共转移支付，完善社会保障制度，缩小社会保障制度的差异，加大对低收入人群和相对贫困人群的帮扶，在效率优先的基础上最大程度地保障公平。“与此同时，发挥慈善和公益捐赠的力量，鼓励社会主体特别是高收入群体和企业自主自愿参与财富流动，最大程度地促进公平、缩小收入差距。”朱梦冰说。

值得注意的是，李实还指出，会议强调要促进基本公共服务均等化。近年来，我国在推进养老、医疗、住房、教育等基本公共服务均等化的可及性上取得明显进展，下一步要重点缩小基本公共服务在水平和质量上的差距。

“中国已经进入新发展阶段，要完整准确全面贯彻新发展，通过创新协调开放绿色发展实现‘共享’富裕之目标。而要实现这一目标，也要不断提升构建新发展格局的能力和水平，在推进供需更高水平动态平衡中实现。”刘向东表示。

来源经济参考报