Demystifying non-tax revenues: trillions are not per capita fines, what is the truth?
In the huge digital ocean of fiscal revenue and expenditure, a statement that "non-tax revenue exceeds one trillion yuan, and the national per capita fine is more than 700 yuan" has recently attracted widespread attention on social platforms. But is there really such a simple truth hidden behind this seemingly shocking title? Let's peel back the fog and explore the true face of non-tax income.
1. Non-tax income: more than just fines
First, we need to be clear about the concept that non-tax revenue is not the same as penalty income. According to the Measures for the Administration of Government Non-tax Revenue issued by the Ministry of Finance, the scope of non-tax revenue is much more than that. It covers administrative fees, government funds, fines and confiscation revenues, and revenues from the paid use of state-owned resources. In other words, non-tax income is a comprehensive concept, and fines are only part of it.
Taking the data of 2022 as an example, the total non-tax revenue of the state reached 3,702.919 billion yuan, while the revenue from fines and confiscations was only 428.398 billion yuan, accounting for only 11.6% of the non-tax revenue. This data clearly tells us that non-tax revenue is not mainly composed of fines, and that non-tax income cannot simply be equated with penalty income.
Second, the growth logic of non-tax revenue
So, how is the growth of non-tax revenue driven? The social science journal "China Finance," which is under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance, has explained this in detail. The rapid growth of non-tax revenue was mainly due to the multi-channel revitalization of idle assets by local governments and the increase in revenue related to mineral resources. In addition, the growth of the central government's non-tax revenue was driven by special factors, such as the increase in the special income from oil special income driven by the rise in crude oil prices.
It is worth noting that the changes in the revenue from fines and confiscations in different places also show different trends. In some places, the revenue from fines and confiscations has grown rapidly, but this does not necessarily come from the revenue from fines and confiscations from the police. For example, the increase in fines and confiscation revenues for major cases in Beijing has become the main variable, while Chongqing's fines and forfeitures have been significantly affected by the public security fines and confiscation revenues. At the same time, there are also some provinces where the revenue from fines and confiscations has shown an overall downward trend, such as Tianjin, Guangdong, Zhejiang, etc.
3. The misleading nature of the per capita fine
There is obviously a serious problem in the logic of apportioning the part of the fines and confiscations of non-tax revenue to everyone and coming to the conclusion that "the national per capita fine is more than 700 yuan". First of all, the growth of forfeiture income is affected by a variety of factors, including policy adjustments, economic environment, etc., rather than simply being determined by individual actions. Second, the revenue from fines and confiscations is distributed equally to each person, ignoring the differences in economic development level and population structure in different regions, resulting in distorted results.
What's more, this simplistic averaging algorithm ignores the contribution of other components of non-tax revenue. Such as administrative fees, government funds, etc., these revenues play an important role in supporting the operation of the government and promoting the development of social undertakings. Simply equating non-tax revenue with fines not only fails to accurately reflect the true situation of government fiscal revenue and expenditure, but also may mislead the public's understanding and judgment of fiscal policy.
Fourth, the positive significance of non-tax revenue
In fact, non-tax revenues play an important role in government finances. It can not only provide a stable source of income for the government, but also can be used to support the construction of public utilities and promote economic development. For example, government funds can be used to support infrastructure construction, education, medical care, and other areas of people's livelihood, while administrative fees can be used to ensure the normal operation of government agencies and the provision of services.
In addition, the growth of non-tax revenue also reflects the achievements made by the government in promoting market-oriented reforms and optimizing resource allocation. By revitalizing idle assets and optimizing the tax structure, the government can use resources more efficiently and improve the stability and sustainability of fiscal revenue.
V. Conclusions
To sum up, the statement that "non-tax revenue exceeding one trillion yuan is equal to more than 700 yuan per capita fine in the country" is seriously misleading. Non-tax revenue is a comprehensive concept that includes multiple sources of revenue, and forfeiture revenue is only a part of it. When discussing fiscal revenue and expenditure data, we need to look at various indicators and data rationally and avoid being misled by simplistic conclusions. At the same time, we should also recognize the important role played by non-tax revenue in supporting the operation of the government and promoting the development of social undertakings, and praise its contribution in optimizing the allocation of resources and improving the stability of fiscal revenue.