国内英语新闻:Lhasa uses favorable policies to boost commerce, investment

LHASA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The government of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is using favorable policies to attract investors and boost employment.

The city government of Lhasa signed contracts with 34 investors Sunday, with the contracts worth 8.3 billion yuan (about 1.2 billion U.S. dollars). The contract signing ceremony was held during the traditional Shoton Festival, or Yogurt Festival, which began Saturday and runs until Aug. 17.

Most of the investors are in the agriculture, tourism and culture sectors, said Fang Guilin, vice mayor of Lhasa.

Various types of industries are developing robustly in Lhasa, bringing quality economic growth and improving people's lives. The city government has unveiled favorable policies to maintain the growth momentum, he said.

The corporate tax rate for companies which set up start-ups, hi-tech or poverty relief operations is only nine percent, much lower than a general average of 20 percent, according to a new tax policy in in the city.

Companies who hire local residents also get a tax cut and favorable loan rates are applied for investors.

The city government has set up a 20-million-yuan fund to support technological companies and intelligent innovation of traditional industries.