For more information on news items, click on APCCSL News.

September 2008

China

New "Charity and Social Welfare Department" established at MoCA
A new department to promote charity and social welfare was set up on 11 September 2008 under China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, reports the People’s Daily, quoting Xinhua. The department will deal with the welfare lottery, charity activities, donations, and welfare projects for the elderly, disabled and children, a ministry statement said.

May 2008

China

New Open Government Regulations Become Effective
In a move that Chinese officials claim is intended to combat corruption, increase public oversight and participation in government, and allow citizens access to government-held information, the State Council on April 5, 2007, issued the first national Regulations on Open Government Information (OGI Regulation), which took effect May 1, 2008.

June 2007

China

The Unirule Economics Research Institute [Tiance Jingji Yanjiusuo], China's independent economics think tank, released its report on human economic rights in China on 11 June 2007. In his introduction to the report, Institute Director Mao Yushi noted that institute scholars work groups had been working on the report for two years.

India

Voluntary Sector Policy 2007
Government adopts new Policy on the Voluntary Sector, which includes important clauses on recognition of shares etc. as a deductible donation, simplification of FCRA, simplification of registration norms for non-profit companies, an optional central law for registration and operation on an all-India basis, setting up a self-regulatory agency by the sector, simplified norms for bilateral funding for NPOs, and internet access of accounts of NPOs receiving Government funding. Several income tax proposals were not, however, included. To read the document click here.

March 2007

China

An article published by china.org.cn on January 20, 2007 reports that corporations and individual donors will now be able to claim tax deductions for donations to any licensed non-profit public welfare organization. The new policy was announced by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on 18 January 2007.

China

Corporate Income Tax Law revised to Increase Deductions for Donations to Public Welfare Organizations
The National People's Congress, the highest legislative body of China, revised the corporate income tax law on 17 March 2007, making foreign companies and domestic companies essentially equal for tax purposes.

January 2007

China

Developments in Tax and Charity Law
An article published by china.org.cn on January 20, 2007 reports that corporations and individual donors will now be able to claim tax deductions for donations to any licensed non-profit public welfare organization. The new policy was announced by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation. It is consistent with a proposal made by ICCSL in a report submitted to the World Bank in 2004. At present only donations to about 20 major charity organizations are tax deductible.

Major developments in the Charity Law were also announced. The draft of the country's first law on charity is expected to be presented to the National Peoples' Congress for examination and approval later this year.

For more on this news story click here

India

FCRA Bill Delayed by Committee Referral
An AccountAid Capsule for 16 January 2007 reported that the new FCRA Bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha in December 2006, has been referred to a Standing Committee.

Uzbekistan

New Law on Non-governmental Organizations Promulgated
President Islam Karimov signed into law the Law of Uzbekistan "On guaranties of activities of the non-state non-profit organizations" on 3 January 2007. The law was adopted by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on 11 October 2006 and approved by the Senate on 1 December 2006. The text of the law is available in the ICCSL Documentation Center.