BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- China's first legislative hearing will be held on September 27 to hear public opinions about the amendments to the law of personal income tax, the top legislature announced Sunday.

    Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the 10th NPC Standing Committee said that it is the long-held important principle for China's legislative work to promote democracy and follow the mass line.

    To hold a legislative hearing for amending the law of personal income tax is the NPC's new measure to enhance legislative transparency and to seek democracy in legislative work, Wu said.

    An official with the Legislative Affairs Commission under the NPC Standing Committee said the amendments to the law of personal income tax relate not only to government's readjustment of the social wealth, but also to the fundamental interests of individuals. Therefore, the official said, it is quite necessary to solicit opinions from all the circles of the society on the change of tax deduction line through a legislative hearing.

    Yang Yada, professor with the Anhui Industrial University and the NPC deputy, said a legislative hearing on the amendments to the law of personal income tax will help citizens learn the original intention of the law and enhance their consciousness of paying taxes.

    She also said to hear opinions from different departments would make the law amendment work more efficient.

    "To absorb opinions from tax collection authorities will help the legislature know the tax collection loopholes in reality; to hear opinions from financial staffs will help the legislature knowthat an individual credit system should be established so as to adequately collect taxes from high-income groups; to hear views from local tax officials from economically backward provinces willhelp the legislature know that to unanimously lift tax deduction line nationwide may make poor provinces have heavier economic burden, as their tax revenue are reduced," she said.

    According to the source from the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, four categories of people will be invited to attend the upcoming hearing: law drafters-- officials from the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council; wage earners; deputies from trade unions and officials from tax authorities of poor provinces.

    The draft amendments to the personal income tax law was submitted for the first reading to a six-day-long session of the 10th NPC Standing Committee, which concluded on Sunday.

    The draft amendments include lifting the tax deduction line from 800 yuan to 1,500 yuan and forcibly asking high-income groups to file tax returns and pay taxes themselves.

    The opinions collected on the upcoming hearing will be carefully sorted out and become the important reference for the draft amendments' second reading, said by a source from the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee. Enditem