Article 1
Income tax shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of this Law by
enterprises with foreign investment within the territory of the People's
Republic of China on their income derived from production, business
operations and other sources. Income tax shall be paid in accordance with
the provisions of this Law by foreign enterprises on their income derived
from production, business operations and other sources within the
territory of the People's Republic of China.
Article 2
"Enterprises with foreign investment" referred to in this Law mean
Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, Chinese-foreign contractual joint
ventures and foreign-capital enterprises that are established in China.
"Foreign enterprises" referred to in this Law mean foreign companies,
enterprises and other economic organizations which have establishments or
places in China and engage in production or business operations, and
which, though without establishments or places in China, have income from
sources within China.
Article 3
Any enterprise with foreign investment which establishes its head office
in China shall pay its income tax on its income derived from sources
inside and outside China. Any foreign enterprise shall pay its income tax
on its income derived from sources within China.
Article 4
The taxable income of an enterprise with foreign investment and an
establishment or a place set up in China to engage in production or
business operations by a foreign enterprise, shall be the amount remaining
from its gross income in a tax year after the costs, expenses and losses
have been deducted.
Article 5
The income tax on enterprises with foreign investment and the income tax
which shall be paid by foreign enterprises on the income of their
establishments or places set up in China to engage in production or
business operations shall be computed on the taxable income at the rate of
thirty percent, and local income tax shall be computed on the taxable
income at the rate of three percent.
The State shall, in accordance with the industrial policies, guide the
orientation of foreign investment and encourage the establishment of
enterprises with foreign investment which adopt advanced technology and
equipment and export all or greater part of their products.
Article 7
The income tax on enterprises with foreign investment established in
Special Economic Zones, foreign enterprises which have establishments or
places in Special Economic Zones engaged in production or business
operations, and on enterprises with foreign investment of a production
nature in Economic and Technological Development Zones, shall be levied at
the reduced rate of fifteen percent.
The income tax on enterprises with foreign investment of a production
nature established in coastal economic open zones or in the old urban
districts of cities where the Special Economic Zones or the Economic and
Technological Development Zones are located, shall be levied at the
reduced rate of twenty-four percent.
The income tax on enterprises with foreign investment in coastal economic
open zones, in the old urban districts of cities where the Special
Economic Zones or the Economic and Technological Development Zones are
located or in other regions defined by the State Council, within the scope
of energy, communications, harbour, wharf or other projects encouraged by
the State, may be levied at the reduced rate of fifteen percent. The
specific measures shall be drawn up by the State Council.
Article 8
Any enterprise with foreign investment of a production nature scheduled to
operate for a period of not less than ten years shall, from the year
beginning to make profit, be exempted from income tax in the first and
second years and allowed a fifty percent reduction in the third to fifth
years. However, the exemption from or reduction of income tax on
enterprises with foreign investment engaged in the exploitation of
resources such as petroleum, natural gas, rare metals, and precious metals
shall be regulated separately by the State Council. Enterprises with
foreign investment which have actually operated for a period of less than
ten years shall repay the amount of income tax exempted or reduced
already.
The relevant regulations, promulgated by the State Council before the
entry into force of this Law, which provide preferential treatment of
exemption from or reduction of income tax on enterprises engaged in
energy, communications, harbour, wharf and other major projects of a
production nature for a period longer than that specified in the preceding
paragraph, or which provide preferential treatment of exemption from or
reduction of income tax on enterprises engaged in major projects of a non-
production nature, shall remain applicable after this Law enters into
force.
Any enterprise with foreign investment which is engaged in agriculture,
forestry or animal husbandry and any other enterprise with foreign
investment which is established in remote underdeveloped areas may, upon
approval by the competent department for tax affairs under the State
Council of an application filed by the enterprise, be allowed a fifteen to
thirty percent reduction of the amount of income tax payable for a period
of another ten years following the expiration of the period for tax
exemption or reduction as provided for in the preceding two paragraphs.
After this Law enters into force, any modification to the provisions of
the preceding three paragraphs of this Article on the exemption from or
reduction of income tax on enterprises shall be submitted by the State
Council to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for
decision.
Article 9
The exemption from or reduction of local income tax on any enterprise with
foreign investment which operates in an industry or undertakes a project
encouraged by the State shall, in accordance with the actual situation, be
at the discretion of the people's government of the relevant province,
autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government.
Article 10
Any foreign investor of an enterprise with foreign investment which
reinvests its share of profit obtained from the enterprise directly into
that enterprise by increasing its registered capital, or uses the profit
as capital investment to establish other enterprises with foreign
investment to operate for a period of not less than five years shall, upon
approval by the tax authorities of an application filed by the investor,
be refunded forty percent of the income tax already paid on the reinvested
amount. Where regulations of the State Council provide otherwise in
respect of preferential treatment, such provisions shall apply. If the
investor withdraws its reinvestment before the expiration of a period of
five years, it shall repay the refunded tax.
Article 11
Losses incurred in a tax year by any enterprise with foreign investment
and by an establishment or a place set up in China by a foreign enterprise
to engage in production or business operations may be made up by the
income of the following tax year. Should the income of the following tax
year be insufficient to make up for the said losses, the balance may be
made up by its income of the further subsequent year, and so on, over a
period not exceeding five years.
Article 12
Any enterprise with foreign investment shall be allowed, when filing a
consolidated income tax return, to deduct from the amount of tax payable
the foreign income tax already paid abroad in respect of the income
derived from sources outside China. The deductible amount shall, however,
not exceed the amount of income tax otherwise payable under this Law in
respect of the income derived from sources outside China.
Article 13
The payment or receipt of charges or fees in business transactions between
an enterprise with foreign investment or an establishment or a place set
up in China by a foreign enterprise to engage in production or business
operations, and its associated enterprises, shall be made in the same
manner as the payment or receipt of charges or fees in business
transactions between independent enterprises. Where the payment or receipt
of charges or fees is not made in the same manner as in business
transactions between independent enterprises and results in a reduction of
the taxable income, the tax authorities shall have the right to make
reasonable adjustment.
Article 14
Where an enterprise with foreign investment or an establishment or a place
set up in China by a foreign enterprise to engage in production or
business operations is established, moves to a new site, merges with
another enterprise, breaks up, winds up or makes a change in any of the
main entries of registration, it shall present the relevant documents to
and go through tax registration or a change or cancellation in
registration with the local tax authorities after the relevant event is
registered, or a change or cancellation in registration is made with the
administrative agency for industry and commerce.
Article 15
Income tax on enterprises and local income tax shall be computed on an
annual basis and paid in advance in quarterly instalments. Such payments
shall be made within fifteen days from the end of each quarter and the
final settlement shall be made within five months from the end of each tax
year. Any excess payment shall be refunded and any deficiency shall be
repaid.
Article 16
Any enterprise with foreign investment and any establishment or place set
up in China by a foreign enterprise to engage in production or business
operations shall file its quarterly provisional income tax return in
respect of advance payments with the local tax authorities within the
period for each advance payment of tax, and it shall file an annual income
tax return together with the final accounting statements within four
months from the end of the tax year.
Article 17
Any enterprise with foreign investment and any establishment or place set
up in China by a foreign enterprise to engage in production or business
operations shall report its financial and accounting systems to the local
tax authorities for reference. All accounting records must be complete and
accurate, with legitimate vouchers as the basis for entries.
If the financial and accounting bases adopted by an enterprise with
foreign investment and an establishment or a place set up in China by a
foreign enterprise to engage in production or business operations
contradict the relevant regulations on tax of the State Council, tax
payment shall be computed in accordance with the relevant regulations on
tax of the State Council.
Article 18
When any enterprise with foreign investment goes into liquidation, and if
the balance of its net assets or the balance of its remaining property
after deduction of the enterprise's undistributed profit, various funds
and liquidation expenses exceeds the enterprise's paid-in capital, the
excess portion shall be liquidation income on which income tax shall be
paid in accordance with the provisions of this Law.
Article 19
Any foreign enterprise which has no establishment or place in China but
derives profit, interest, rental, royalty and other income from sources in
China, or though it has an establishment or a place in China, the said
income is not effectively connected with such establishment or place,
shall pay an income tax of twenty percent on such income. For the payment
of income tax in accordance with the provisions of the preceding
paragraph, the income beneficiary shall be the taxpayer and the payer
shall be the withholding agent. The tax shall be withheld from the amount
of each payment by the payer. The withholding agent shall, within five
days, turn the amount of taxes withheld on each payment over to the State
Treasury and submit a withholding income tax return to the local tax
authorities.
Income tax shall be exempted or reduced on the following income:
(1) the profit derived by a foreign investor from an enterprise with
foreign investment shall be exempted from income tax;
(2) income from interest on loans made to the Chinese government or
Chinese State banks by international financial organizations shall be
exempted from income tax;
(3) income from interest on loans made at a preferential interest rate to
Chinese State banks by foreign banks shall be exempted from income tax;
and
(4) income tax of the royalty received for the supply of technical know-
how in scientific research, exploitation of energy resources, development
of the communications industries, agricultural, forestry and animal
husbandry production, and the development of important technologies may,
upon approval by the competent department for tax affairs under the State
Council, be levied at the reduced rate of ten percent. Where the
technology supplied is advanced or the terms are preferential, exemption
from income tax may be allowed.
Apart from the aforesaid provisions of this Article, if preferential
treatment in respect of reduction of or exemption from income tax on
profit, interest, rental, royalty and other income is required, it shall
be regulated by the State Council.
Article 20
The tax authorities shall have the right to inspect the financial,
accounting and tax affairs of enterprises with foreign investment and
establishments or places set up in China by foreign enterprises to engage
in production or business operations, and have the right to inspect tax
withholding of the withholding agent and its payment of the withheld tax
into the State Treasury. The entities and the withholding agents being so
inspected must report the facts and provide relevant information. They may
not refuse to report or conceal any facts.
When making an inspection, the tax officials shall produce their identity
documents and be responsible for confidentiality.
Article 21
Income tax payable according to this Law shall be computed in terms of
Renminbi (RMB). Income in foreign currency shall be converted into
Renminbi according to the exchange rate quoted by the State exchange
control authorities for purposes of tax payment.
Article 22
If any taxpayer fails to pay tax within the prescribed time limit, or if
the withholding agent fails to turn over the tax withheld within the
prescribed time limit, the tax authorities shall, in addition to setting a
new time limit for tax payment, impose a surcharge for overdue payment,
equal to 0.2 percent of the overdue tax for each day in arrears, starting
from the first day the payment becomes overdue.
Article 23
The tax authorities shall set a new time limit for registration or
submission of documents and may impose a fine of five thousand yuan or
less on any taxpayer or withholding agent which fails to go through tax
registration or make a change or cancellation in registration with the tax
authorities within the prescribed time limit, or fails to submit income
tax return, final accounting statements or withholding income tax return
to the tax authorities within the prescribed time limit, or fails to
report its financial and accounting systems to the tax authorities for
reference. Where the tax authorities have set a new time limit for
registration or submission of documents, they shall impose a fine of ten
thousand yuan or less on the taxpayer or withholding agent which again
fails to meet the time limit for going through registration or making a
change in registration with the tax authorities, or for submitting income
tax return, final accounting statements or withholding income tax return
to the tax authorities. Where the circumstances are serious, the legal
representative and the person directly responsible shall be investigated
for criminal responsibility by applying mutatis mutandis the provisions of
Article 121 of the Criminal Law.
Article 24
Where the withholding agent fails to fulfil its obligation to withhold tax
as provided in this Law, and does not withhold or withholds an amount less
than that should have been withheld, the tax authorities shall set a time
limit for the payment of the amount of tax that should have been withheld,
and may impose a fine up to but not exceeding one hundred percent of the
amount of tax that should have been withheld. Where the withholding agent
fails to turn the tax withheld over to the State Treasury within the
prescribed time limit, the tax authorities shall set a time limit for
turning over the taxes and may impose a fine of five thousand yuan or less
on the withholding agent; if the withholding agent fails to meet the time
limit again, the tax authorities shall pursue the taxes according to law
and may impose a fine of ten thousand yuan or less on the withholding
agent. If the circumstances are serious, the legal representative and the
person directly responsible shall be investigated for criminal
responsibility by applying mutatis mutandis the provisions of Article 121
of the Criminal Law.
Article 25
Where any person evades tax by deception or concealment or fails to pay
tax within the time limit prescribed by this Law and, after the tax
authorities pursued the payment of tax, fails again to pay it within the
prescribed time limit, the tax authorities shall, in addition to
recovering the tax which should have been paid, impose a fine up to but
not exceeding five hundred percent of the amount of tax which should have
been paid. Where the circumstances are serious, the legal representative
and the person directly responsible shall be investigated for criminal
responsibility in accordance with the provisions of Article 121 of the
Criminal Law.
Article 26
Any enterprise with foreign investment, foreign enterprise or withholding
agent, in case of a dispute with the tax authorities on payment of tax,
must pay tax according to the relevant regulations first. Thereafter, the
taxpayer or withholding agent may, within sixty days from the date of
receipt of the tax payment certificate issued by the tax authorities,
apply to the tax authorities at the next higher level for reconsideration.
The higher tax authorities shall make a decision within sixty days after
receipt of the application for reconsideration. If the taxpayer or
withholding agent is not satisfied with the decision, it may institute
legal proceedings in the people's court within fifteen days from the date
of receipt of the notification on decision made after reconsideration.
If the party concerned is not satisfied with the decision on punishment by
the tax authorities, it may, within fifteen days from the date of receipt
of the notification on punishment, apply for reconsideration to the tax
authorities at the next higher level than that which made the decision on
punishment. Where the party is not satisfied with the decision made after
reconsideration, it may institute legal proceedings in the people's court
within fifteen days from the date of receipt of the decision made after
reconsideration. The party concerned may, however, directly institute
legal proceedings in the people's court within fifteen days from the date
of receipt of the notification on punishment. If the party concerned
neither applies for reconsideration to the higher tax authorities, nor
institutes legal proceedings in the people's court within the time limit,
nor complies with the decision on punishment, the tax authorities which
made the decision on punishment may apply to the people's court for
compulsory execution.
Article 27
Where any enterprise with foreign investment which was established before
the promulgation of this Law would, in accordance with the provisions of
this Law, otherwise be subject to higher tax rates or enjoy less
preferential treatment of tax exemption or reduction than before the entry
into force of this Law, in respect to such enterprise, within its approved
period of operation, the law and relevant regulations of the State Council
in effect before the entry into force of this Law shall apply. If any such
enterprise has no approved period of operation, the law and relevant
regulations of the State Council in effect before the entry into force of
this Law shall apply within the period prescribed by the State Council.
Specific measures shall be drawn up by the State Council.
Article 28
Where the provisions of a tax agreement concluded between the government
of the People's Republic of China and a foreign government are different
from the provisions of this Law, the provisions of the agreement shall
prevail.
Article 29
Rules for implementation shall be formulated by the State Council in
accordance with this Law.
Article 30
This Law shall enter into force on July 1, 1991. The Income Tax Law of the
People's Republic of China for Chinese-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures and
the Income Tax Law of the People's Republic of China for Foreign
Enterprises shall be annulled as of the same date.
最后编辑于：2018-09-01 11:11
