China is to make public and standardize charges for agricultural duties and other fees so that rural people will know which fees they are legally required to pay.

The "sunshine charging" system, which makes fee collection procedures in China's countryside more transparent, was discussed at Wednesday's nationwide working conference held by the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC) in Chenzhou City of south China's Hunan Province.

According to the conference, 70.4 percent of towns and 55.6 percent of villages in China have set up agricultural charges boards in public places and handed out about 54 million information booklets to farmers.

Currently Chinese farmers mainly pay taxes for land and fees for business certificates as well as paying for electricity, water and education, which already have prices set by government departments.

In the past many extra charges were imposed illegally, adding to the heavy burden farmers already carry.

In the latter part of 2001, the Chinese government began to implement the new fee-collection system throughout its vast rural areas, acquainting farmers with the official agricultural duties and extra charges they are required to pay and the ways they are to make complaints.

Under the new system, farmers can refuse to pay any fee if it has not been made public according to regulations.

SDPC statistics show the new system will reduce Chinese farmers' financial burden by 7.4 billion yuan (about 900 million US dollars) each year.

In Duishang, a small village near Chenzhou city, villagers often complained about the underhand collection of dubious fees. Since a price and duty board was set up at the village entrance, villagers have a better knowledge of the official duties and fees they are required to pay. On average everyone will reduce 40 yuan (about 5 US dollars) for pay a year.

Wang Yang, vice-minister of the SDPC, said the new system has standardized the past haphazard way of imposing agriculture fees. It has brought the government closer to farmers, and has contributed to the stability of rural society, he said.