l       财政部、国家税务总局明确股票增值权所得和限制性股票所得缴纳个人所得税相关问题

财政局、国家税务总局于2009年1月7日发布《股票增值权所得和限制性股票所得缴纳个人所得税有关问题的通知》，明确规定对个人从上市公司取得的股票增值权所得和限制性股票所得，征收个人所得税。

按照该《通知》规定，股票增值权是上市公司授予公司员工的一项权利，被授权员工在未来一定时期和约定条件下，可获得规定数量的股票价格上涨所产生的收益，即被授权员工在约定条件下行权后，上市公司按照授权日与行权日二级市场股票差价乘以授权股票数量，发放现金给被授权人；限制性股票，是指上市公司按照股权激励计划约定的条件，授予公司员工一定数量本公司的股票。

另外，该通知要求实施股票增值权计划或限制性股票计划的境内上市公司，在向中国证监会报备的同时，将企业股票增值权计划、限制性股票计划或实施方案等有关资料报送主管税务机关备案。

值得注意的是，该通知的出台并不必然表明中国政府将开征个人资本利得税。

l       Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation clarified issues regarding individual income tax on incomes from Stock Appreciation Rights and Restricted Stocks.

The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation jointly promulgated a Circular on Relevant Issues Regarding Payment of Individual Income Tax on Incomes from Stock Appreciation Right and Restricted Stock Units (the “Circular”) on January 7, 2009. The Circular requires individuals who have derived incomes from Stock Appreciation Rights (the “SARs”) or Restricted Stocks (the “RSs”) to pay individual income tax for such incomes.

According to the Circular, the SARs refer to the rights that a listed company grants to its employees so that the employees may derive income from the appreciation of a specified number of shares during a specified period, if the specified conditions are met.  When a grantee/employee exercises his rights under the conditions as agreed, the listed company will pay him in cash in an amount equivalent to the difference, between the market price of the shares as of the grant date and that as of the exercise date, times the specified number of shares.  The RSs refer to the shares granted by a listed company to its employees in accordance with its employee-equity incentive program.

In addition, the Circular requires a domestic listed company, upon executing a SARs or RSs plan, to report to the China Securities Regulatory Commission and at the same time register with the competent tax authority the relevant materials regarding such plan or related implementing programs.

It is worthy to note that the promulgation of the Circular does not necessarily mean that the Chinese government will impose capital gains tax on individuals.

l       国家食品药品监督管理局发布新药注册特殊审批管理规定。

为鼓励和推进创新药的研究与开发，国家食品药品监督管理局2009年1月7日正式颁布实施《新药注册特殊审批管理规定》。该规定对新药注册特殊审批的条件、程序和要求做出详细规定。与《药品注册管理办法》所规定的一般注册程序相比，新药注册特殊审批程序明显简化。

按照该《规定》，下列四种药品的注册应接受特殊审批:（一）未在国内上市销售的从植物、动物、矿物等物质中提取的有效成分及其制剂，新发现的药材及其制剂；（二）未在国内外获准上市的化学原料药及其制剂、生物制品；（三）治疗艾滋病、恶性肿瘤、罕见病等疾病且具有明显临床治疗优势的新药；（四）治疗尚无有效治疗手段的疾病的新药。

l       State Food and Drug Administration promulgated rules for special review of new drug registration.

In order to encourage and promote research and development of new drugs, the State Food and Drug Administration on January 7, 2009 promulgated and put into effect the Rules on Special Review of New Drug Registration (the “Rules”).

The Rules set forth in details the conditions, procedure and requirements regarding review of applications for new drug registration.  Comparing with the process prescribed in the Measures on Administration of Drug Registration, the procedure for new drug registration under the Rules has been significantly simplified.

Under the Rules, the registration of the following drugs shall be subject to special review: (i) active substances and their medicaments that were extracted from plants, animals and minerals and have never been sold in the domestic market, and newly discovered materials for drugs and their medicaments; (ii) chemical-based medicines, their medicaments and biological products that have never been approved to be sold domestically or abroad; (iii) new drugs to cure AIDS, malignant tumor or rare diseases, which have obvious advantages for clinical treatments; and (iv) new drugs to cure diseases that are not curable with existing treatments or therapies..

l       国家发改委不再受理《符合国家产业政策的外商投资项目确认书》的申请

自2009年1月1日起，中国政府已经停止实施对外商投资企业在投资总额内采购国产设备全额退还增值税的优惠政策。为此，国家发展改革委员会于2008年12月31日发布《关于不再办理〈符合国家产业政策的外商投资项目确认书〉的通知》，从2009年1月1日起不再受理办理〈符合国家产业政策的外商投资项目确认书〉的申请。

l       National Development and Reform Commission ceased accepting applications for confirmation letters on foreign investment projects.

On January 1, 2009, the Chinese government rescinded its policy on full refund of value-added tax, paid by foreign invested enterprises for equipment domestically purchased, for an amount within its total investment.  Following the policy change, the National Development and Reform Commission on December 31, 2008 promulgated the Circular on Ceasing Issuance of “Confirmation Letter on Foreign Investment Project in Line with National Industrial Policy”, and from January 1, 2009 no longer accepts any application for confirmation letter in this regard.

l       人力资源和社会保障部发布劳动人事争议仲裁办案规则。

为配合《劳动争议调解仲裁法》的实施，人力资源和社会保障部于2009年1月1日发布施行《劳动人事争议仲裁办案规则》。《规则》对劳动人事争议仲裁程序所涉及的各环节，包括当事人、管辖、回避、证据、期间、案卷管理及仲裁程序等作出细化规定。

按照该《规则》，对于权利义务明确、事实清楚简单的争议案件或经双方当事人同意的其他争议案件，该规则明确仲裁委员会可指定一名仲裁员独任处理，并可在庭审程序、案件调查、仲裁文书送达、裁决方式等方面进行简便处理。对于劳动者一方在十人以上的争议，或者因履行集体合同发生的劳动争议，仲裁委员会可优先立案，优先审理。

在案卷管理方面，规则规定仲裁委员会应当建立案卷查阅制度，对不需要保密的内容，应当允许当事人及其代理人查阅、复印。

l       Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security announced rules on arbitration of labor disputes.

For implementing the Law for Labor Dispute Meditation and Arbitration, the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security on January 1, 2009 promulgated and put into effect the Labor Disputes Arbitration Rules (the “Rules”).  The Rules provide detailed regulations covering all aspects of an arbitration proceeding, including parties, jurisdiction, withdrawal, evidence, period, file management and arbitration procedure.

According to the Rules, in a dispute where the facts and each party’s rights and obligations are clear, or in other disputes where the parties so agree, the arbitration commission may appoint a sole arbitrator, and may adopt simplified measures with respect to, among others, its trial proceeding, investigation proceeding, service of arbitration documents, and means of rendering awards.  If a dispute involves ten employees or more, or arises from the performance of a collective employment contracts, the arbitration commission may take priority in accepting and reviewing such dispute.

With regard to file management, the Rules require the arbitration commission to establish a system regarding review of files, by which the parties and their representatives will be allowed to review and copy the non-confidential files.

l       国家税务总局明确企业工资薪金及职工福利费相关问题

国家税务总局于2009年1月4日发布了关于《企业工资薪金及职工福利费扣除问题的通知》，对企业工资薪金及职工福利费相关问题做出明确规定。该《通知》效力溯及2008年1月1日。

该通知明确了“合理工资薪金”及“工资薪金总额”的定义。“合理工资薪金”是指企业按照股东大会、董事会、薪酬委员会或相关管理机构制订的工资薪金制度规定实际发放给员工的工资薪金；“工资薪金总额”，是指企业按照《通知》第一条规定实际发放的工资薪金总和，不包括企业的职工福利费、职工教育经费、工会经费以及养老保险费、医疗保险费、失业保险费、工伤保险费、生育保险费等社会保险费和住房公积金。此外，《通知》具体规定职工福利费所包括的范围，并要求企业对职工福利费单独设置账册，进行准确核算。

l       State Administration of Taxation clarified tax-related issues regarding employees’ salaries and welfares.

The State Administration of Taxation issued a Circular on Deduction of Employees’ Salaries and Welfares (the “Circular”) on January 4, 2009, in order to clarify tax-related issues regarding employees’ salaries and welfares.  It should be noted that the Circular will be applied retroactively from January 1, 2008.

The Circular defines the “reasonable salaries” and the “gross amount of salaries”.  The “reasonable salaries” shall refer to salaries actually paid to employees by a corporate entity in accordance with its salary policy approved by its shareholders meeting, board of directors, compensation committee or relevant administrative body.  The “gross amount of salaries” shall refer to the gross amount of the salaries actually paid by a corporate entity according to Article 1 of the Circular, excluding employee welfares, employee educational expenses, expenditures for labor union, premium for social insurance such as pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, occupational injury insurance, birth insurance, and housing fund.  In addition, the Circular provides in details the scope of employee welfares, and requires employers to separately maintain independent books and records for employee welfares to make accurate audit and accounting of employee welfares.

l       财政部和国家税务总局发布通知，规定外商投资企业、外国企业和组织以及外籍个人房产适用房产税规定

为配合城市房产税的取消，财政部和国家税务总局于2009年1月12日联合发布《关于对外资企业及外籍个人征收房产税有关问题的通知》，要求自2009年1月1日起，对外商投资企业、外国企业和组织以及外籍个人（包括港澳台资企业和组织以及华侨、港澳台同胞）的房产征收房产税，其征税范围、计税依据、税率、税收优惠、征收管理等按照《中华人民共和国房产税暂行条例》及有关规定执行。

《通知》特别规定，在缴纳房产税时，以人民币以外的货币为记账本位币的外资企业及外籍个人，应将其根据记账本位币计算的税款按照缴款上月最后一日的人民币汇率中间价折合成人民币。

l       Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation issued notice regarding application of real estate tax to real estate owned by foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises and organizations, and foreign nationals.

Following cancellation of the urban house and land tax, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on January 12, 2009 jointly issued a Circular on Issues Related to Imposition of Real Estate Tax on Foreign Enterprises and Individuals (the “Circular”).  The Circular requires that, effective from January 1, 2009, the real estate owned by foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises, foreign organizations and foreign nationals (including enterprises, organizations and citizens of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and Chinese nationals residing aboard) shall be subject to real estate tax.  In respect of the scope of taxation, tax calculation, tax rate, preferential tax rate and administration on tax levy, the Provisional Regulations on Real Estate Tax and its relevant rules shall apply.

The Circular specifies that, if a foreign enterprise or individual uses a foreign currency as a basis of its book-keeping, the real estate tax calculated in such foreign currency shall be converted into RMB at the central parity rate on the last day of the month immediately preceding the tax payment.