Beijing mulls hefty fees for having three or more children: report

Households in Beijing might have to pay a hefty amount for children born in violation of the family planning policy, as the government is reportedly mulling a plan to modify the local social maintenance fees.

The adjusted social maintenance fees in Beijing would stipulate that if couples give birth to three or more children, they would need to pay up to three times the local per capita disposable income per child, the Beijing Daily reported Tuesday.

Woman who giver birth to two children before marriage will need to pay half the per capita disposable income per child, it said.

According to Beijing Statistical Information Net, the per capita disposable income is about 57,300 yuan per year in urban areas and 22,310 yuan in rural areas.

The Beijing Daily found that 30 provinces and regions in China have modified their regulation on family planning in 2016, 25 of which clearly stated the payment for social maintenance fees.

Northeast China’s Liaoning Province imposes up to 10 times per capita disposable income for families who violate the family planning regulations, the highest among all provinces.

Heilongjiang Province ranks the lowest.

Some provinces, such as Hunan, Shanxi and Guizhou impose social maintenance fees in accordance with their salaries, the Beijing Daily reported.

Government officials in at least 14 provinces in China would face dismissal or punishment if they violate the family planning policy.

Officials from Guizhou, Yunnan, Hubei, Ningxia and Guangxi would be removed from their positions when found to have children in violation of the policy.

On January 1, 2016, China further relaxed the policy allowing all married couples to have two children.