Additional Income Makes Difference

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, during the four years from 2002 to 2006, the Chinese annual average salary growth rate hit 12 percent. Despite this, most people complained that their income remained almost unchanged.

The explanation from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security is that not all people’s salaries were growing at the same pace and there existed salary differences in different regions and industries, and even different enterprises in the same sector. In addition, the rising expenses on housing, health care and education had eaten into salary increases.

However, this problem can also be seen from another perspective.

To judge whether their income has increased, the public will compare the current salary with what they earned in the past, and also compare their salary with others. In the latter case, apart from actual earnings, they also take into account off-book income. When one notices that others are spending more than their earnings allow, they tend to believe that these people must have additional income sources.

Noticeably, common workers are believed to have little opportunity of earning additional income, compared with white-collars and officials.

To make the income distribution fairer should be an urgent task.

Beijing Youth Daily

How Are Your Taxes Spent?

According to a survey by China Youth Daily concerning income tax awareness, 83.4 percent of the respondents feel that they only carry out obligations without exercising rights, while 39 percent of these say they want to have a say as to how their taxes are spent but have no idea how to go about it. Overall, 87.7 percent know little about the legitimate rights of taxpayers.

It is not that taxpayers don’t want to exercise their rights, they just have no way to do so. They don’t know whether their taxes are used for their own good or for the interest of certain groups. Currently, no Chinese laws require government staff to report to taxpayers on how their taxes are used.

To keep taxpayers ignorant of their rights will discourage them from acting actively in the country’s development. It’s necessary to give taxpayers all their legitimate rights, so that they are willing to do more for society.

China Business Times

Mice Still Pose Risk, Even in Death

The battle between people and mice in the Dongtinghu Lake area in central China’s Hunan Province has ended with victory for the people. However, there still exist many potential risks and dangers. In the face of the mouse invasion, people were forced to use their own version of “weapons of mass destruction,” namely, toxicants. All else, including clubs, fishing nets, pits, rattraps and fire had failed. Even cats and dogs were unable to match the power of the mouse army. However, the direct result of poisoning mice is that the toxicants will also kill other life, including animals, plants and even people.

Poisoned mice will also spread diseases. The fact that only a quarter of the mouse corpses are buried makes it possible for the outbreak of such fatal diseases as plague and epidemic hemorrhagic fever in the Dongtinghu Lake area. The smelly air produced by rotting mouse corpses is also the source of diseases. In addition, when mouse remains find their way into rivers, it will also damage the local ecological environment.

Mice naturally evolve and develop a resistance to toxicants. The only way, therefore, to prevent these situations is through the natural enemies of mice-birds of prey and snakes, which have disappeared from the area. The mouse plague in the Dongtinghu Lake area reminds people of the importance of maintaining an ecological balance.

China Youth Daily

Anti-Game Addiction Tough to Stop

The anti-online game addiction system, which will limit the time players spend in their virtual world, has been put into effect countrywide from July 16. However, the question still remains whether this system can be as effective as expected.

Under the system, up to three hours of play is considered “healthy,” and more than five, “hazardous.” However, if a player turns to another game after three hours, the anti-addiction system can impose no restrictions at all. The system also demands players to register with real names, but it is difficult to limit the anti-addiction system to underage players, since few people signed up to play the games use their real names and ages.

Meanwhile, the Internet cafes, which depend so much on online games for profits, will also invent more countermeasures to cope with this system. In order to make more money, they even encourage underage players by offering them free food and drinks in the bars.

The deep-rooted reason for child addiction in online games is the shortage of healthier entertainment and cultural activities. Given so many loopholes, the newly launched anti-addiction system may well become an ineffective attempt to solve a complicated issue, if it has no supporting measures.

Guangzhou Daily