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REPORTS |
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Chinese Peasants of Misery
By Li Qiang, China Labor Watch
July 31, 2002
In China, the living conditions of rural peasants are even worse than that of
urban workers. Their agricultural incomes are less than the required revenue
tax.
This is a typical balance sheet of a rural family in a fiscal year from March,
2000 until March, 2001, Nanchang city, Jiangxi Province. The information given
on this sheet is complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. This report
also contains a notice to farmers to share burden
and a message to agricultural taxpayers from a Chinese town
government.
A Balance Sheet of A Rural Family
Name (identity withheld by request of the head of household)
Family members: 4
Farming land: 3.01 mu (The ration of mu and acre is xxx)
Yearly agricultural income: 1851.15 Yuan. ($225.75)
Includes----First Half Year: Per mu yield: 350 kilograms
Selling price: 0.60 Yuan per kilogram
in total: 632.10 Yuan ($77.01)
Second Half Year: Per mu yield: 450 kilograms
Selling price: 0.90 Yuan per kilogram
in total: 1219.05 Yuan ($148.66)
Yearly Cost: 1462.60 Yuan ($178.4)
Includes-----Fertilizer:
100.00 Yuan per mu, 301 ($36.70)Yuan in total
Rent
on farm cattle: 60.00 Yuan per mu, 180.60 Yuan ($22.00) in total
Water
and electricity: 40.00 Yuan per mu, 120.40 Yuan in total
Apportion of Village Neighborhood Committee expenses: 860.60 Yuan
($104.95) (These overlapping fee is levied on the basis of households, number
family members and amounts of farmland.
Tax
on agricultural specialty: 4.00 Yuan per person, 16.00 Yuan in total
(This tax can抰 be waived despite the fact
that apart from rice, there is no other crop)
Tax
on slaughtering animals: 32.00 Yuan per household, 32.00 Yuan in total (The
32.00 Yuan yearly tax on slaughtering can抰 be waived even though no animal slaughter
happened in this household since 1999-2001 except the occasional killing of a
chicken for a meal.)
Village
district duties: 16.00 Yuan per person plus 19.00 per mu, 121.20 Yuan in
total (Requested by district government, levied on the basis of
households and number of family members)
Village
neighborhood duties: 17.20 Yuan per person plus 17.20 Yuan per mu, 128.20 Yuan
in total (Requested by Village Neighborhood Committee, levied on the
basis of households and number of family members)
Mandatory
work for public construction:33.20 Yuan per person plus 40.00 Yuan per mu,
253.20 Yuan in total
Irrigation
works required by village district government: 17.00 Yuan per person plus 20.00
Yuan per mu, 128.20 Yuan in total (peasants should pay both money and
labor.)
Irrigation
works required by village neighborhood: (peasants should pay both money and
labor.)
Mandatory
Donation: 56.10 Yuan per household, 56.10 Yuan in total (Certain part of
annual earnings must be deducted for elderly, unemployed people)
Water
Bill: 11.50 Yuan per mu, 34.60 Yuan in total
House
maintenance: 8.00 Yuan per household, 8.00 Yuan in total
Apportion
of flood control: 2.00 Yuan per person plus 2.00 Yuan per mu, 14.00 Yuan in
total (This is an example of the overlapping levy because the peasants
already pay for irrigation works.)
Apportion
of land netting: 9.00 Yuan per person plus 11.00 Yuan per mu, 69.10 Yuan in
total
Apportion
of electrified wiring netting improvement:
Annual
familial revenue: 1851.15 Yuan-1462.60 Yuan=388.45 Yuan ($47.30)
Annual
individual revenue: 388.45 yuan/4=97.11 Yuan ($11.80)
Comments: This family lives off of an income of 97.11 Yuan ($11.80) per person.
It
is common that the peasant income is less than the tax and other fees levied by
government of all levels. In some rural regions of China, peasants would rather
leave the land uncultivated than farm. In order to earn a living, peasants have
to leave their homes and head for urban areas. They would take any job they can
find, no matter how hard and dangerous it is. For instance, a lot of peasants
are working at the dangerous coalmines despite the high rate of accidents.