Tax authorities across China have been busy this year on convenience measures: sixteen items such as smart filing and credit repair have been introduced, and the experience of paying taxes and fees has become noticeably smoother. Digitalisation is where the pace is fastest. Shanghai's Suilingtong service bundles online filing, complaint collection and progress tracking into a single QR-code process, Nanshan district in Shenzhen has launched an AI large-model assistant that helps taxpayers and fee payers, and Chongqing uses digital technology to let departure tax refunds be recognised across regions and refunded on the spot. Data sharing across agencies has also widened: by the end of July, tax authorities and eight other departments had built 127 joint governance mechanisms and shared 974 million records, so tax matters arising after company registration and social insurance payments for flexible workers can be handled in one stop. The commentary nonetheless points to weak spots: many platforms that do not talk to each other, duplicated data collection, and places that count completed cases rather than real outcomes. The next step, it argues, is to make smart customer service capable of recognising complex cases and flagging risks early rather than only answering simple questions.
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Upgrading Tax and Fee Services Must Focus on Solving Real Problems for Businesses
An Economic Daily commentary reviews this year's progress in tax and fee service reform across China. Sixteen convenience measures including smart filing and credit repair have landed, and digitalisation is accelerating: Shanghai's Suilingtong app bundles online filing, complaint collection and progress tracking into one QR-code service, Shenzhen's Nanshan district has rolled out an AI large-model assistant for taxpayers, and Chongqing uses digital tools for cross-region mutual recognition of departure tax refunds. Cross-agency coordination has produced 127 joint tax-governance mechanisms and 974 million shared data records as of end-July. The article also flags shortcomings such as fragmented online platforms, duplicated data collection and a focus on transaction volume rather than outcomes, and argues that smart customer service must move beyond simple Q&A towards recognising complex cases and flagging risks.
2026-09-10