China.com September 1 (Reporter Peng Yao) Recently, with the approval of the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the National Health Commission and other departments jointly issued the "Several Policy Measures for the Relief and Support of the Elderly and Child Care Service Industry" (hereinafter referred to as the "Several Policy Measures"), which proposed 6 aspects, including rent reduction, tax and fee reduction, social insurance, finance, and epidemic prevention, and 26 specific policy measures.
According to statistics, as of the end of 2021, the number of elderly people aged 60 and above in my country reached 267 million, accounting for 18.9% of the total population. The elderly population has a large base and aging speed. The number of elderly groups such as elderly, disabled, living alone, and left-behind continues to increase. They have both the rigid demand for long-term care in institutions and the high expectations of relying on the community to enjoy social and professional services conveniently at home. It is of great and urgent significance to vigorously develop the elderly care service industry and meet the multi-level and diversified elderly care service needs of the majority of the elderly.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, together with the Development and Reform Commission and other relevant departments, has focused on the "urgent, difficult and anxious" problems of the elderly, optimized the layout of facilities, improved support policies, increased service supply, and accelerated the construction of an elderly care service system that coordinates home and community institutions and combines medical care, nursing care and health care. As of the first quarter of 2022, the number of various elderly care service institutions and facilities nationwide was 360,000, with 8.126 million beds.
At the regular briefing on the State Council’s policy held by the State Council’s State Council on September 1, Li Yongxin, head of the Elderly Care Service Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that as the main supplier of elderly care services, elderly care service institutions need to rely on continuous and stable service returns to maintain normal operations. However, due to the impact of the epidemic in the past three years, the operations of some elderly care service institutions have been impacted. According to the survey, especially since the beginning of this year, the epidemic has continued in many places, and elderly care service institutions in these places are facing many difficulties and urgently need to work with all parties to strengthen assistance and overcome difficulties together. The relief and support policies issued this time focus on five aspects: rent, tax, insurance, finance, and epidemic prevention that are most concerned by elderly care services and the most urgently needed in the industry.
On September 1, 2022, the State Council Information Office held a regular briefing on the State Council’s policies to introduce the relevant situation of the “Several Policy Measures for the Relief and Support of the Elderly and Child Care Service Industry”. Photo by Lun Xiaoxuan, China.com,
In terms of rent reduction and exemption, it is clear that if elderly care service institutions belonging to small and medium-sized enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households rent state-owned houses, rent reduction and exemption will be reduced until the end of 2022; relevant units and institutions of the education, scientific research and other systems are encouraged to provide rent reduction and exemption to the rent reduction of the above-mentioned institutions; non-state-owned housing rental entities are encouraged to reasonably share the losses caused by the epidemic on the basis of equal consultation; localities are encouraged to explore free or low-price provision of venues to social forces to serve the elderly at home. In terms of tax and fee reduction and exemption, it is clear that on the basis of enjoying the relevant tax and fee preferential policies for elderly care service institutions in accordance with regulations, the applicable entities that reduce the "six taxes and two fees" by 50% of the tax amount in 2022 will be extended to elderly care service institutions; taxpayers in the elderly care service industry can fully refund the incremental tax credit amount on a monthly basis and a full refund of the existing tax credit amount in one lump sum according to regulations; local governments are encouraged to further reduce and exempt the water, electricity, gas and heat fees, and implement "constant supply of arrears" in special circumstances, delay payment of fees for a certain period of time and exempt late payment fees. In terms of insurance support, it is clear that the policy of phased reduction of unemployment insurance and work-related injury insurance premium rates will be continued, and the policy of unemployment insurance job stability refund will be implemented for elderly care services without layoffs or layoffs. Institutions with temporary difficulties in operation affected by the epidemic will be allowed to apply for phased deferral of relevant insurance unit payments; and support policies such as temporary deferral of elderly care service practitioners who participate in the basic pension insurance of enterprise employees as individuals are also clearly provided.
In terms of financial support, it is clear that special re-lending for inclusive pensions will be carried out and the scope of the pilot will be expanded; financial institutions will be guided to implement loan repayment of principal and interest for small and medium-sized enterprises and individual industrial and commercial households with loans; encourage local governments to provide loan interest subsidies; encourage government-based financing guarantee institutions to provide financing credit enhancement support; insurance institutions are encouraged to extend the policy expiration date of the elderly care service institutions or delay the collection of premiums as appropriate; support pension enterprises to issue corporate credit bonds and broaden financing channels. In terms of epidemic prevention support, it is clear that local governments at all levels will give priority to elderly care service institutions in terms of epidemic prevention deployment such as material allocation, transfer and isolation, and medical treatment; organize elderly care service institutions in their jurisdiction to carry out nucleic acid testing in accordance with regulations, and provide support for epidemic prevention materials and disinfection of institutions that are subject to closed management and cannot operate normally; reasonably adjust the conditions for issuing operation subsidies and promote the timely and full issuance of institutional operation subsidies.
