State Administration for Market Regulation: Promote the promulgation of regulations such as the "Measures for Handling Illegal Charges Related to Enterprises"

　　China News Service, February 5. The State Council Information Office held a regular briefing on State Council policies on February 5 to introduce the situation related to creating a market-oriented, legal and international first-class business environment. Ren Duanping, director of the Registration Bureau of the State Administration for Market Regulation, revealed at the meeting that he will promote the introduction of regulations such as the "Measures for Handling Illegal Charges Related to Enterprises".

On February 5, China’s State Council Information Office held a regular briefing on State Council policies in Beijing. Xiao Weiming, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, Meng Wei, director of the Regulations Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, Guo Qiwen, head of the Second Legislative Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Commerce Zhu Bing, director of the Department of Foreign Investment Management, and Ren Duanping, director of the Registration Bureau of the State Administration for Market Regulation, introduced the situation of creating a market-oriented, legal and international first-class business environment and answered reporters' questions. Photo by China News Service reporter Yang Kejia

　　Ren Duanping introduced that market order is the core element of the business environment, and enterprise-related charging issues are related to the core interests of enterprises. Addressing arbitrary charges and fines is an important measure to reduce the burden on business entities. The State Administration for Market Regulation has carried out in-depth charge management, rectified behaviors that disrupt market order in accordance with the law, and effectively safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and consumers.

　　The first is to further promote fee management. In 2023, market supervision departments at all levels inspected a total of 79,000 charging units involved in enterprises, fined and confiscated 430 million yuan, and refunded 2.16 billion yuan to enterprises. A total of 12,000 government departments and their affiliated units were inspected, and 620 million yuan of fees were refunded to enterprises. More than 5,500 charging units in the financial field were inspected and 840 million yuan of fees were refunded to enterprises.

　　The second is to improve the efficiency of supervision and law enforcement. In 2023, the national market supervision system investigated and handled a total of 1.1573 million cases, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%, and the amount of fines and confiscations was 8.669 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 19.7%. The number of cases handled and the amount of fines and confiscations increased and decreased, and the effectiveness of coordinated law enforcement efforts and temperature showed.

　　The third is to improve rules and guidelines. Research and draft rules for handling corporate violations of laws and regulations, strengthen top-level system design, dynamically adjust the guidance catalog for market supervision and administrative enforcement matters, and study and formulate institutional norms for the management of major administrative penalty cases.

　　Ren Duanping pointed out that in the next step, the State Administration for Market Regulation will intensify the special rectification of illegal charges involving enterprises, comprehensively promote strict standards, fair and civilized law enforcement, focus on enhancing the vitality and endogenous power of business entities, and promote the release of high-quality development momentum.

　　First, we will continue to carry out special rectification actions against illegal charging by enterprises. The General Administration will take the issue of illegal charging by enterprises as a key measure to optimize the business environment, take special rectification actions as the focus of solving illegal charging, study and formulate a rectification action plan and a list of expected results, and make more efforts to reduce costs and burdens for enterprises. Great results.

　　The second is to implement structural fee reduction and burden reduction policies, focus on inspecting outstanding problems reported by technological innovation enterprises and manufacturing enterprises, and promote the reduction of patent protection and achievement transformation costs of technological innovation enterprises. At the same time, we will promote the promulgation of regulations such as the "Measures for Handling Illegal Charges Related to Enterprises". Study and issue the "Compliance Guidelines for Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce's Charging Behavior" to standardize the charging behavior of industry associations and chambers of commerce.

　　The third is to continuously establish and improve the law enforcement system. Accelerate the establishment and improvement of system standards for commensurate punishments, dynamically adjust the guidance catalog for comprehensive administrative law enforcement matters, revise and improve the interim regulations on the management of major cases, and promote the introduction of interim regulations on electronic data evidence collection for law enforcement and handling of cases. Study and formulate guiding opinions on "service-oriented law enforcement" and promote the introduction of institutional norms such as a list of "no punishment for first offenders and reduced penalties" in various localities.