Caixin published a piece yesterday on the tug and pull between conservation and development in Yunnan, and more specifically, of Kunming's Dianchi.
"Southwest China' s scenic Yunnan province has intensified efforts to protect its many lakes, demolishing hundreds of illegally constructed buildings in the process. But demand for development and corruption are hurdles to conservation:"
Just published on SCMP titled: "China’s expat tax system: who pays and how does it work?"
- "Recent plans by Beijing to reform tax exemptions on expatriate employee allowances have thrown the spotlight on China’s tax regime for foreigners"
Link:
"Who needs to pay individual income tax in China?
Chinese law stipulates that individuals who are domiciled in the mainland, or live in the country for a total of 183 days in a tax year, will be categorised as tax residents. However, only after staying in the country for six straight years, without exiting for more than 30 days, will global income be taxed.
Non-residents pay taxes only on the income earned in China.
What kind of income is taxed in China?
The IIT levy is applicable to people earning wages, salaries, pay for authors or personal services, plus income from royalties, business operations, interest, dividends and bonuses. Revenue from property leasing or transactions, as well as contingent income, is also taxed."
7-tier individual income tax rate bracket chart and municipal level tax break info for expats also mentioned in the above article published one hour ago.
"... amid pressure from foreign businesses, the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration announced in late December the tax breaks will be extended for two more years.
Meanwhile, year-end bonuses will not be included solely in the month they are offered, but split evenly across 12 months, before 2024. Equity incentives offered by listed companies will be taxed separately until the end of this year."
More details in the piece. I'm not going to copy and paste the whole thing.
Also, the suspension of tours has been lifted for most cities in Yunnan. Welcoming news for a portion of the local economy.
Good news. Kunming's tracking/tracing code back to normal from previous elevated medium-high risk status.
Data from the NHC shows the Mainland province with the most number of days in 2021 with reported local symptomatic covid cases is none other than Yunnan (with 92 days).
Followed by Heilongjiang, Hebei, and Bejing.
Graphic chart ranking of all provinces compiled by Reuters:
The steady influx of imported cases as a bordering SW province to various neighbors, particularly the one across Ruili, is probably the main contributor for Yunnan.
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For a limited time until June 26, 2022, the 66th top floor observatory will be open to public for free. Visiting hours: 14:00 - 21:00, weekends and holidays. One of the best breathtaking views of the cityscape. Great for family. Below the skyscraper is intersection of MRT Line 3 (pink) with Line 2/1.
For those following the tragic saga of the baby calf elephant (born at Kunming Zoo), who was forcibly separated from its mother to perform as solo act elsewhere for profit, there's finally some good news. After months of social media uproar and complaints over the cruel treatments of the calf in tears during training in leaked vids, the calf is soon returning back to our local zoo. The visibly depressed mother and calf will soon be reunited after a brief quarantine period. One extra star for the zoo for adhering to the voices of the public. A step in the right direction. More compassion for our animal friends in captivity.
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byLike this railway, Beerlao lager is also a joint venture (Carlsberg Group with the Lao government) and one of the most prominent brands in Laos. A national treasure worth protecting ;)
The brewery company's 10% shrinkage during summer wet seasons may be attributed to the poor road conditions scattered throughout most of Laos. One of the infrastructural problems that needs to be addressed at the ministerial level.
The "three hours" bottlenecks for passengers in Moding is a wrinkle to be ironed out... granted the two extra shared vehicle trips (jacked up fares on the Lao side) between Boting, the border checkpoints, and Moding could now be bypassed.
The Lao government needs to stop turning a blind-eye to their custom officials, not to mention the consulate staff in Kunming, from threatening passengers and pocketing extra fees for themselves.
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byBeginning sometime next month in April, the Laos China Railway trains will seamlessly cross borders without the hassles of disembarking for border checkpoints.
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byGood news. Starting next Wednesday on March 15, passengers can book tickets for the Laos-China Railway on their mobile devices (via the "LCR Ticket" app, available on Play store or Apple).
Currently, reserving train seats for the Laos' rail portion have been hectic as local scalpers have dominated the station queues, reselling train seats to Luang Prabang at double or triple rates.
www.thestar.com.my/[...]
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byTo update, passenger high speed rail trains connecting from Kunming into Laos have begun since earlier this year... and runs further into Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang (an UNESCO World Heritage-listed town), and Vientiane provinces.
A good post on places to visit along the way:
www.traveller.com.au/[...]
Recent talks with Thailand-Laos rail network cross-border connections from Vientiane:
www.bangkokpost.com/[...]
COVID-19 vaccinations for expats in Kunming available until July 18
Posted byAlthough Omicron has already been ripping through Kunming, the word is that the fourth vaccine, in the aerosol form of inhalable or spray, may be rolling out in Yunnan for the general public at the end of the month or the next.
I hope prior to lunar new year, the more vulnerable elderly in rural outskirt villages, where health services are relatively dearth, will also have access to these updated vaccines when they congregate in town markets every five days during traditional "ganji" to sell their homegrown produce.