国内英语新闻：More fiscal revenue goes to social undertakings

BEIJING -- Strong economic growth means that fiscal revenues for 2007 will far exceed forecasts made at the beginning of the year, according to a report by the State Council to the top legislature here on Saturday .

The extra money will be used to improve people's livelihood with education, health care, social security on top of the government work agenda, the report said.

Central government fiscal revenue is expected to total 2.84 trillion yuan (about 389.5 billion U.S. dollars), or 401.1 billion yuan above the budget forecast.

In the first 11 months, central government fiscal revenue was 2.68 trillion yuan, up 37 percent over the same period last year, statistics from the Ministry of Finance showed.

Local governments will get a windfall too, with their extra fiscal revenue expected to reach 300 billion yuan, the report said.

"The huge extra fiscal revenue reflects China's stable, rapid economic growth," the report said.

By the end of the third quarter, most major economic indicators had already outstripped 2007 targets: industrial output, total fixed asset investment, retail sales, realized company profits and foreign trade.

Tax revenues derived from those activities also expanded rapidly in the first nine months. Value-added tax, import tax and individual income tax collections rose 9.9, 10.8 and 12.9 percentage points, respectively.

Corporate income tax, business tax and deed tax collections were up 39.2 percent, 29.7 percent and 38.4 percent year-on-year, respectively. Those gains were 24.2 percentage points, 16.7 percentage points and 28.9 percentage points above target, respectively.

According to the State Council, the extra fiscal revenue will be used to improve people's livelihood with education, health care, social security to top the agenda.

The central government will use 40 billion yuan to subsidize farmers to raise fine breeds of livestock and plant improved variety of crops, and to renovate agriculture infrastructure such as roads, bridges and reservoirs, the report said.

The central government will give 21 billion yuan to subsidize the compulsory education, 40 billion yuan to social security, 31.8 billion yuan to medical care, 29 billion yuan to scientific and technological development and 1.1 billion yuan for cultural causes, the report said.

The central government will use the extra revenue to offset fiscal deficit by 45 billion yuan and keep the deficit of this year at 200 billion yuan.

The State Council required the local governments to focus the use of their 300 billion extra revenue on improving people's livelihood too.