Countrywide campaign reveals rise in tax-related criminal cases

China saw a rapid growth of tax-related criminal cases in the first six months of this year, as a joint campaign in this regard was conducted nationwide, China's top court said.

Data released by the Supreme People's Court over the past weekend showed that from January to June, cases of illegally selling special value-added tax invoices and fraudulently obtaining export tax refunds increased by 190 percent and 48.15 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year.

The surge in the cases is related to China's intensified efforts against tax-related violations and crimes, the top court said.

Last year, eight authorities, including the top court, the Ministry of Public Security and the State Taxation Administration, jointly established a regular work mechanism, pledging to maintain the order of economic operation and ensuring the security of national tax revenue by heavily cracking down on relevant offenses.

While witnessing the increase of such tax-related crimes, Chinese courts also dealt with more criminal cases involving sexual abuse via the internet, the top court said, adding that cases of indecency and insult, from January to June, increased by over 20 percent year-on-year.

With "zero tolerance" for sex crimes against children, the top court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate jointly issued a judicial interpenetration last year, vowing to give harsher punishment to those making use of the internet to rape or molest juveniles.

The interpretation, which took effect on June 1, 2023, clarifies that people who force or lure minors to have nude chats online, or ask them to send naked photos or videos will be convicted of child molestation or indecency.

According to the data, Chinese courts heard more than 23.17 million cases in the first six months of this year, up 3.9 percent year-on-year. Of the total, over 6.36 million cases were solved through mediation before litigation, up about 20 percent year-on-year.