Sunday, September 25, 2011

Some personal note....+ some DREAMS

Today (means Saturday) really had a bad day at the factory - many things done wrong by the factory.
The factory owners wife is on chemo therapy because of breast cancer - had a surgery already. Surely the boss is very worried - 2 children there - bad cashflow - bad management - and still not understanding basic quality requirements or not being able to communicate & delegate.
Anyhow just to pamper myself and all of you - one of my all-time favourites here - have a nice Sunday:

And just as we all love them so much (I know this one Iposted already at least one time) SARA - with the wonderful Stevie Nicks & the rest of the FLEETWOOD MAC:

Friday, September 23, 2011

Beijing may delay new tax on expats

Here an update for this topic. It seems they are not really clear about how to handle this in a proper way - big confusion - a lot of back & forth - just like always in China and especially with the AUTHORITIES. This one is from SCMP 22.09.11:
quote
Adrian Wan
Sep 22, 2011

Beijing may again have to delay a new social security tax on foreign workers on the mainland after local governments complained that they had not been given enough time to implement it, said a person briefed by authorities on the issue.

The person also confirmed that all Chinese nationals from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan would be exempted from the new tax, removing anxiety caused by ambiguous wording in a version of the regulation released two weeks ago.

Foreign nationals working on the mainland - even if they are permanent Hong Kong residents - still need to pay the tax, which could be up to 11 per cent of their salaries to a maximum portion of 11,688 yuan (HK$14,266) a month, or 1,300 yuan, the person said.

Employers must also pay - up to 37 per cent of their foreign employees' salaries and also subject to a maximum of 11,688 yuan a month (4,100 yuan), in addition to an employee's own contribution, according to the regulation published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The rules raise questions about whether Hong Kong Chinese professionals will enjoy significant advantages over their expat colleagues as a result. Under the new regulation, it would be more expensive for a Hong Kong company to base a foreign worker on the mainland than to send a Hong Kong Chinese person.

Local governments, including those in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, have apparently been caught off guard by the new tax - which was scheduled to take effect on October 15, the person said.

"Since different provinces and cities have their own localised version of [tax] regulations, and since some of them are now saying they have just been informed of the new tax, I think it's unlikely that the new tax will be implemented on October 15 as originally planned," the person said.

At the moment, foreigners and Hongkongers working on the mainland can voluntarily pay social security tax to local accounts if they want to receive pension incomes from the mainland after their retirement. The ministry said earlier that the new rule was designed to protect the rights of foreigners so they could benefit from the social security system.

All expats from countries that do not have a bilateral exemption agreement with Beijing will be affected by the new tax. Only Germany and South Korea have agreed to such a deal with China. At least 10 other countries, including the US, Japan and Russia, are still in negotiations with Beijing on such an arrangement.

If an employer is found to have failed to make social security contributions for their foreign employees, they would face a maximum penalty of three times the outstanding contributions. The same penalty will apply to employers who hire foreign workers without a proper work permit.

"Nobody would like to pay an additional 50,000 yuan every year for an expat worker, so it is very good news for Hongkongers [Chinese] working there because they will have a clear cost advantage [over foreigners]," said William Cheung, a partner at Ernst & Young's human capital practice in Beijing.

"The impact on Hong Kong companies may not be huge. Not many of them keep foreign workers on the mainland."

Cheung nevertheless urged Hong Kong employers who have expatriate workers on the mainland to review immediately the implications of the new tax regulation.
adrian.wan@scmp.com Copyright (c) 2011. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
unquote
So as a clue if whatever will be the result GERMAN & SOUTH KOREAN nationals will be very popular in the future to work in China !

Monday, September 19, 2011

Interview with China's No. 1 billionaire philanthropist (Part 1 & 2)

Here is an interview with Chen Guangbiao - he is the KING OF RECYCLING in China and said to be the number 1 richest in China. 2 days ago he smashed & crashed his Mercedes 600 on the so-called "No-driving Day". He is a big "donator" - even distributing the money by himself - it seems many people do not really trust him...here is an interview. Have your own thoughts on this:

Monday, September 12, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Foreign Nationals Must Participate in China’s Social Security System

Up-date of this old post.
So now is getting more a clear picture on this issue:
The Interim Measures for the Participation in Social Security of Foreigners Employed in China (Draft for Comments)在中国境内就业的外国人参加社会保险暂行办法(征求意见稿), drafted by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security were released to public for solicitation of opinions and comments from the community. The draft measures further detail Article 97 of the Social Security Law of the People's Republic of China华人民共和国社会保险法and clarify the general inclusion of foreigners within China's statutory social security scheme.
  • The draft rules are applicable to foreigners (including residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) lawfully working in China and holding appropriate work permits (i.e. work permit, foreign expert permit, permits for foreign journalist). They may locally employed or employed overseas and on secondment to work in China.
  • The contributions would be made towards a pension as well as medical, work-related injury, unemployment and maternity insurance schemes in China.
  • If foreigners leave China before the mandated date for drawing pensions, their accounts can either be maintained, as they may return to work in China, or terminated. If terminated, the amount accumulated in the account may be withdrawn in a lump sum upon approval by the relevant authority. An insured foreigner could apply in writing to withdraw his or her individually deposited funds. If the insured passes away, the balance of his or her personal account can be inherited.
  • Foreigners working in China who are nationals of countries where China has concluded a multilateral agreement will follow the provisions of the agreement. Currently, only Germany and South Korean have signed agreements with China.
There are discussions on the way that Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan residents shall be NOT included in this scheme. It is not settled now. Scheme is said to be started on October 15th, 2011 !

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Any weekend Sounds ?

Just searching on YouTube - patient a few moments - something will come up soon in same post. YES - here it is:
Get some goosebumps with Amy & Paul !

Just found this one from THE BBC sessions - Back TO BLACK:

Shanghai Subway Shit

As we all know the People's Republic of China want to become the economic Worldpower No. 1 as soon as possible. With people like this ? Good job - just shitting in the underground - no problem ! Enjoy the photo & have your own thoughts on this.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

LITTLE GIRL DRIVING THE CAR IN BIG CITY !

What kind of father & mother is this ? Is it fake ?
It does not look like fake as there is real movement to be seen & the girl really over-takes other cars.
It is def filmed on the mainland in a rather big city. I have tried to read the number plates of the other cars
but it is very difficult to recognize - if anybody knows which city this is please let me know. The video is here: