China's top legislature held its first-ever legislative hearing on Tuesday, aiming to enhance legislative transparency and to promote democracy in legislation.

The hearing is on lifting the cutoff point of the personal income tax from 800 yuan (US$98.8) to 1,500 yuan (US$S185), a major move for amendment to the Law on Personal Income Tax.

Some 40 people from various walks of life and various regions across the country, selected from nearly 5,000 applicants, attended the hearing, with 20 as speakers of the general public.

Their opinions will provide an "important basis" for the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, to make amendments to the personal income tax law.

The cutoff point, the first in more than 20 years, is to be raised to meet the rising wage level, cost of living and inflation.

"A major principle is to ensure the threshold of income tax payment will not affect the people's life as they have to pay more for housing and education, medical services," said a high-ranking taxation official.

During the morning session, 16 representatives from various social sectors voiced their opinions. Representatives from government departments and provinces were also given eight minutes each for an individual speech.

A survey of the 20 speakers conducted before the hearing shows 85 percent of them favor raising the personal income tax threshold above 1,500 yuan.

Yang Jingyu, chairman of the NPC Law Committee, said that the adjustment of the threshold has aroused great concern among the general public.

By holding the first-ever public hearing for such an important legislation, "we are collecting the wisdom and proposals of people from all walks of life."

"It is also a major step to increase legislative transparency and democracy," Yang said.

China put in force a law on legislation on July 1, 2000, which says the standing committees of people's congresses should solicit opinions from various sides on making laws and regulations. The opinion-collecting process may take various forms, including symposiums, debate sessions or hearings.

By the end of 2004, 24 provincial legislative bodies had held 38 legislative hearings on regional draft laws and regulations concerning market administration, protection of consumers' rights, the environment and resources, construction of urban utilities and other major issues of public concern.

According to Peng Zhenqiu, a deputy to the NPC, all the opinions raised in these hearings were well considered when the provincial lawmakers formulated the local laws and regulations.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2005)