The tax reductions of Beijing reached 29.7 billion yuan (US$4.33 billion) by replacing business tax with value-added tax (VAT) until January.

Since Beijing put on trial the policy of replacing business tax with VAT in May last year, the State Administration of Taxation of Beijing Municipal Office has completed the practice among 238,000 taxpayers in four major industries, with a reduction of 29.7 billion yuan by January this year.

The taxation bureau has also integrated tax services through platforms including the internet, mobile phone and self-service machines. It has also set up a 24-hour tax self-service center, which offers a “green passage” for tax services online and offline.

A new sign showing the ticket prices is seen in a newly-decorated tram in Hong Kong, south China, May 26, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The tramways of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region unveiled a new logo and visual identity on Friday for its century-old tramcars, also known as Ding Ding car.

The background color of the new visual identity of tramcar is green, representing the tramcars are environmental and safe.

The new slogan, “catch a ride, catch a smile” is printed on the front of the tramcar. On the bottom of the vehicle, there is a smile expression, meaning tramcars’ friendly personality and faithful service.

For the coming months, tramways is also going to make its 160 tramcars smile with an additional sticker on the bumper.

Besides this new graphic system, Hong Kong tramways also pledged to make its passenger information on stops and website more friendly.

As all tramcars are designed and built at tramways’ depot by skillful and experienced craftsman in Hong Kong, to commend the hard work of them, tramways will install a bronze plate on board of each tramcar to remind the public of the unknown heroes.

Hong Kong tramways has been in service since 1904 and operates nowadays a fleet of 164 tramcars. It is the world’s largest fleet of double-deck tramcars in operation, carrying about 200,000 passengers every day.

A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee was held on Friday to review two documents regarding the Party’s inspection work.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

The two documents consist of a decision to amend the Party’s regulation on inspection work and a special report on the inspection of the Party’s ideology-related organizations, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

Participants of the meeting agreed that the Party’s inspection work should be further upheld and deepened.

Noting that the inspection work has been regarded as a major measure in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, the statement said such work would provide solutions to both the symptoms and the root cause of the problems.

The statement said that the amendment to the inspection work regulation includes the latest innovative practices in inspection work, and makes clear stipulations on the inspection of central authorities and city and county-level governments. It also stipulates that inspection should cover all fields in an administrative term.

Such provisions are expected to guarantee the deepening of inspections, it said.

The statement called on Party committees at all levels to study and implement the regulation and promote awareness about the regulation.

It also urged leading officials to understand the spirit of the regulation, put themselves under supervision and take the lead in observing the Party’s rules.

Ideology is very important work of the Party, the meeting noted, adding that publicity, culture and news organizations have undergone a thorough political “health examination” via inspections of these agencies.

The inspections have strengthened the Party’s leadership over ideological work and promoted strict governance of the Party in the field, said the statement.

It stressed that CPC members and officials at all levels should staunchly safeguard the authority and the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core.

Officials are urged to have confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and grasp the correct direction of politics, values and public opinion.

Efforts are needed to improve mainstream ideology’s transmissibility, guidance, influence and credibility, and to create a good environment for the upcoming 19th CPC National Congress, according to the statement.