Now! China — Jan 2016

OUR INSIGHTS

Impact of Public Notice on Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters

TAX

• Administrative Measures for Non-resident Taxpayers Claiming Tax Treaty Benefits

• Refinement to Super-deduction Policy for Research and Development Expenses

• Application of Zero Value Added Tax Rate to Certain Services

CORPORATE ADVISORY

• Foreign Exchange Settlement of Foreign Debt Funds

• Trading of Recognised Hong Kong Funds by Individuals

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Budgeting for 2016 HR Cost

• Announcement of China’s Public Holidays in 2016

Impact of Public Notice on Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters 
Released in March 2015, State Administration of Taxation (SAT) Public Notice [2015] No.16 (“Public Notice 16”) is expected to change the way foreign enterprises repatriate profits out of China. It is obvious that the SAT aims to strengthen tax administration of outbound payments to related parties overseas. The opinions of taxpayers and tax authorities regarding the deduction of an outbound payment to related parties overseas may also differ. Therefore, we suggest enterprises should consider the following actions to monitor the tax risks of outbound payments:

For historical outbound payments:

• Conduct health checks to identify the status and potential risks; and
• Prepare necessary supporting documents to substantiate and justify the payments (e.g., intercompany agreements, transfer pricing documentation/benchmarking) to address any challenges by the tax authority regarding such transactions.

For future outbound payments:

• Explore opportunities to optimise profit repatriation channels to ensure business sustainability and tax compliance; and
• Build up an effective monitoring system for outbound payments in daily operations and conduct adjustments when necessary.

Recap on details of Public Notice 16

Public Notice 16 states that enterprises should comply with the arm’s length principle when making payments to their related parties overseas. Taxpayers shall provide relevant documentation upon request, such as intercompany agreements, and documentation that verifies the authenticity as well as the arm’s length nature of the transactions.

Public Notice 16 clarifies that four types of expenses cannot be deducted for the purpose of corporate income tax (“CIT”) assessment:

Administrative Measures for Non-resident Taxpayers Claiming Tax Treaty Benefits

State Administration of Taxation (SAT) Public Notice [2015] No.60 has introduced a new mechanism of self-assessment on the eligibility for tax treaty benefits (reduced taxation or exemption under the relevant tax treaties) by non-resident taxpayers.

The pre-approval process or record-filing acknowledgement from the Chinese tax authorities is no longer necessary. Instead, non-resident taxpayers and their withholding agents will be required to file certain prescribed forms and other supporting documents when performing tax filing to justify their claims for the tax treaty benefits.

Refinement to Super-deduction Policy for Research and Development Expenses

Caishui [2015] No.119 (“Circular 119”) provides further clarification and refinement in relation to the scope of R&D activities and R&D expenses, financial accounting and administration, and record-filing requirements. It clarifies the detailed measures implemented regarding the super-deduction of R&D expenses for the purpose of corporate income tax assessment.

Application of Zero Value Added Tax Rate to Certain Services

Caishui [2015] No.118 (“Circular 118”) states that domestic enterprises or individuals providing the following services to companies overseas can adopt the zero VAT rate:

• Production and distribution of radio and television programmes;
• Technology transfer services, software services, circuit design and testing services, information system services, operation process management services, and energy management services; and
• Offshore outsourcing services, including information technology outsourcing (ITO), business process outsourcing (BPO), and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO).

Foreign Exchange Settlement of Foreign Debt Funds

The Shanghai Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange implemented rules for further promotion of foreign exchange administration reform in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (the “SHFTZ”) that took effect on 17 December 2015.

The rules state that enterprises (excluding financial institutions) in the SHFTZ are allowed to make foreign exchange settlement of their foreign debt funds, and the procedures for foreign exchange receipts and payments under current items shall be further simplified.

Trading of Recognised Hong Kong Funds by Individuals

The Ministry of Finance and two other departments jointly issued the Circular on Relevant Tax Policies for the Mutual Recognition of Funds between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong (the “Circular”) for implementation with effect from 18 December 2015.

The Circular specifies that income from the price margin in trading of recognised Hong Kong fund units by mainland individual investors shall be temporarily exempt from individual income tax for three years from 18 December 2015 to 17 December 2018. It also states that individual income tax shall be withheld and paid by the mainland agents of such Hong Kong funds at a tax rate of 20% for proceeds obtained by individuals from the distribution of recognised Hong Kong funds.

Budgeting for 2016 HR Cost

When HR departments plan for the HR cost of 2016, they should consider the following issues:

• The HR cost should at least include the gross salary and social security components as well as certain supplementary benefits such as commercial insurance and staff health check-up
• The minimum wage would be adjusted in April every year in Shanghai as usual
• The social insurance base would be increased in April 2016 in Shanghai
• The housing fund base would be increased in July 2016 in Shanghai
• How to improve staff benefits without increasing the HR cost, for example, by increasing the annual leave entitlement

Announcement of China’s Public Holidays in 2016

China’s General Office of the State Council released the official list of non-working public holidays, bridge public holidays, and compensatory Saturdays and Sundays for the calendar year 2016. 
 

Please note that the following Saturdays and Sundays are working days: Feb 6 & 14, Jun 12, Sep 18, Oct 8 & 9

Serving growing businesses since 1985, RSM in Singapore is the largest accounting, business advisory and solutions group outside the Big 4, with a total staff strength of over 950 in Singapore and 320 in China.

Our China Practice is dedicated to helping you venture into China smoothly and supporting you in navigating its complex regulatory and business environment.

As a member of RSM International, the world’s 7th largest accounting and consulting network, we also have a global reach of over 800 offices in 120 countries.

Website: https://www.rsm.global/singapore/

Email: [email protected]

Adrian Tan, Partner and Industry Leader, China Practice 
T +65 6594 7876 
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Tan Lee Lee (Ms), Director 
T +86 21 6186 7602 
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Yeo Lee Soon, Director 
T +86 10 8591 1900 
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